THE FILM SCHOOL BASIC COMPETENCIES

Luis R. Ramos-Hernandez
Eliva Press S.R.L. (2023)

ABSTRACT
The construction of this work consists of identifying the characteristics of filmmaking
skills and defining them as competencies, identification, elements of the competency,
performance criteria, problems, and application range. The audiovisual representation
competency helps guide filmmaking courses at the film school. This curricular
competency makes up for the need for more description of a film director's work. Its
main characteristic is the ability to translate an abstract story into representation in a
two-dimensional spatiality, and it shows what is necessary to communicate through
video and film. One of the audiovisual representation skills is translating an abstract
story in spatial terms, which is one of the dimensions of abstract thinking fundamental
for training professionals in the audiovisual industry.

Keywords
film school, film direction, audiovisual
 INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER I. CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK

1.1 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 5

(UNESCO). Education and Film

1.2 Media and Information Literacy Training Program (AMI) 7

1.3 UNESCO's Alliance of Civilizations 8

1.4 International Conference on Media and Information Literacy (MENA) in 9

Knowledge Societies

1.5 The European Union, Education, and Cinema 11

1.6 Cinema in Latin America 16

1.7. Film schools in Mexico 18

CHAPTER II. THEORY

2.1. Competencies in higher education 25

2.2. Arts education by competencies 27

2.3. Alfa tuning project 29

2.4. A constructivist view 30

2.4.1. Piaget 33

2.4.2. Ausubel 35

2.4.3. Dewey 36

2.4.4. Bruner 38

2.4.5. Vygotsky 39

2.5. The cinematographic language by competencies 42

2.5.1. Competency "Audiovisual Representation" 44

2.5.2. Identification and Standardization of the competency 45

2.5.3. Graphical presentation of the "Audiovisual Representation" 48

competency

CONCLUSIONS 61
 INTRODUCTION
Of all the artistic disciplines, cinema has aroused unequaled enthusiasm since its
beginnings. Lenin regarded cinema as the ideal medium to bring education to the masses,
and Juan De Dios Peza considered the cinematograph as little less than a miracle, capable
of making the dead move. As an example of educational cinema, the experience of the
cultural missions of the Modern School in Spain and the Pedagogical Missions of
Vasconcelismo in Mexico, which counted among their repertoire of materials with didactic
and entertaining cinematographic views; but also the enormous catalog of the National Film
Board of Canada and the tapes declared by UNESCO as Memory of the World in 2003,
suffice. Audiovisual materials safeguard creations and testimonies of universal value, both
for their capacity to transmit thought and documentary images from the 19th century
onwards and for their ability to be read and understood by human beings from an early age.
Through video and film, we can show something that would take a long time to describe. It
allows us to feel they're in the place, as happens when we see documentary images of the
First World War or the Mexican Revolution.
Audiovisual literacy is part of the development of human beings, necessary in the 21st
century, in addition to training professionals for the film and television industry. Both face the
opportunity to better relate with audiovisual discourse critically and informedly. Professionals
also have a greater responsibility to address people, not only in a practical way but also
through a better-thought-out curriculum designed beyond the parameters of entertainment
and commerce.
Recognition of the importance of electronic media has led countries such as France and
the United Kingdom to include film appreciation as part of a curriculum with emphasis on the
development of critical thinking at the elementary, middle, and professional levels:
"They will study film as a means of communication, artistic manifestation, and social
and economic institution. They will also study a variety of cinematic styles, developing
their skills of observation, critical analysis, and personal reflection... (but also) these
students have to elaborate practical projects... either a storyboard... a script... or a
video sequence between 10 and 25 shots". (EVANS, 2007)
In film art, as in film school, learning never ends. Audiovisual training schools perform a
double function: to enable people to work in the cultural industries and develop as centers of
creation and artistic training. Nowadays, film schools perform an adequate task for the
incorporation of their graduates into the industry, they are linked to production studios,

1
incorporate professional practice programs in authentic contexts and facilitate the approach
with public and private organizations. In recent years they have turned to digital
technologies, taking enormous advantage of the democratization of inputs for field and
laboratory practices.
"Learn the trade in a structured way, which includes both theory and practice. Learning
how to use the technical facilities. Learning professionalism...how to take advantage of
mentors.... Put in the work before presenting films to an audience. Become familiar with
all aspects of your medium, including history and aesthetics. Fly high on the exciting
philosophies of film and life.... Develop a network of contacts, each tending to help the
others after graduation. Make personal films, since you are what you put that should be
on the screen..." (RABIGER cit, in GORBE 2010:38).
The experiences of classroom projects in primary education involving the elaboration of
audiovisual materials are extensive and very satisfactory. For example, Celestin Freinet
included a series of student films in his school correspondence technique in which children
showed themselves and their environment to their peers in faraway places. In Mexico, some
field practices of the Freire Active Center during the 1980s included a super 8mm camera.
Students such as Daniel Giménez Cacho and Emmanuel Lubezki edited and narrated these
practices with themes such as the sugar cane harvest or the vegetation in Los Tuxtlas,
Veracruz. Because of its breadth and importance, the free audiovisual text in Mexico
deserves particular attention in further research.
Although audiovisual writing can be articulated throughout the educational stages, it is in
the training of new filmmakers that it acquires national and professional relevance: the
learning of film language as the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to make
a film (filmmaking), placing particular interest in the creativity and free expression of the new
audiovisual creators. UNESCO's document "Mass Media Education or Education for
Communication" raises the need to bring this digital literacy to a reading and writing level, a
public responsibility to convert citizens from passive receivers to media users.
"...whether they have the opportunity to participate or be no more than media users, the
need for members to be educated for communication has become apparent. Just as
the public has the right to literacy, it has the same right to education for communication
through the media... This training must be provided at four levels; 1. general education
2. learning about the structures of the media 3. learning to read the media 4. learning to
write through the media." (DESSAUCY, 1978: 6)

2
 The next level in writing through audiovisual media must go through personal
expression, that is, the use of cinema tools in a way that is not only descriptive and
redundant but that seeks the expressive, the dramatic, and even what Barthes calls "the
obtuse." The pedagogical tools of free text and directed text, devised by the French
pedagogue Celestin Freinet, offer us a substantive example in which the work on content is
enhanced by combining it, through technique, with the students' discourse. The emphasis
ceases to be on the curriculum and shifts to the class project through the expression: "The
subject remembers, through images, that which he saw, touched, smelled, liked or registered
in previous perceptions... Knowing how to describe them is a task that is carried out through
free texts". (COSTA, 1969). In an environment of trust, expression, and creativity go hand in
hand.

Problem Statement
The current social framework reflects and echoes technological and communicational
changes and educational ones. Pedagogy evolves and adapts to the circumstances.
Distance, previously conceived as an inconvenience when communicating, has diminished
its value and even disappeared. Digitalization and interactivity are some factors that make
interrelation possible thousands of kilometers away and directly. Increasingly sophisticated
and technological forms of communication are contributing to non-face-to-face
communication.
There needs to be a formal gap in the curriculum and training of filmmakers. What
should the curriculum include, and how can the work be organized to train film
professionals? Even defining what filmmakers need to develop to enter a classroom and
teach film. Our goal is:

 Define the audiovisual storytelling competencies for the first "Film Language" course.

Justification
Recent educational discourse changes show a clear trend toward a competency-based
educational approach, "in practically the whole world... there is a euphoria to establish
curricula based on competencies". But what competencies should be promoted? In the
report Learning: The Treasure Within (DELORS, 1996), a document issued by UNESCO,
particular emphasis is placed on the four pillars of education, where the principles of the

3
competencies that need to be developed in schools to meet the needs of today's society are
set out, highlighting the importance of fostering not only cognitive aspects but also social and
practical ones.
In the present book, we aim to rethink the meaning of filming and videotaping exercises. The
opportunity involves:
 We are incorporating the effective practices of the modern university.
 We are setting areas of work with clear objectives.
 We are verifying performance in all areas, including collaboration and motivation.
 We are establishing defined routes of action for students and teachers so that we can
rely on both our eye for talent and a roadmap to guide us toward constructing clear
audiovisual messages and artistic expression through the moving image.
From our research, we have developed a series of proposals for students to increase their
audiovisual language and participate in society with good prospects, integrating a fresh,
imaginative, and creative vision into the audiovisual productions they will have to make.

4
 CHAPTER I. CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK
This chapter presents the international context and various documents of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the need to educate for and
in audiovisual media, emphasizing cinema. Film education in the European Union; the
Audiovisual Council of Catalonia, the European Erasmus program and film schools, film
studies in France. The work of the Foundation of New Latin American Cinema (FNCL) the
Federation of Schools of Image and Sound of Latin America (FEISAL) and briefly exemplify
the experience of the International School of Film and TV in Cuba.
In the National Context, we briefly review the history of film in Mexico and film education at
the Centro de Estudios Cinematográficos (ENAC / CUEC) of the Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México (UNAM). Then we reviewed the case of the Bachelor's Degree in
Audiovisual Production at the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla
(UPAEP), where we carried out this research.

1.1 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Education and Film
Educational and cultural organizations have raised their voices about the urgency of
including a cultural filter in the curriculum to decipher the true intentions of the messages in
films and television programs. We talk about learning about the media, but with the condition
that it is not only about knowing the technologies but, above all, the languages with which
they express themselves, the communicative strategies, and the contents of their messages.
It is about:
"... to know the audiovisual as a differentiated form of expression and the implications
of its social use... as a vehicle for social exchange and artistic expression, as a form of
entertainment and transmission of ideology and values. Therefore, the education of
citizens must incorporate this field, both in the field of formal and non-formal
education". (AUDIOVISUAL COUNCIL OF CATALONIA, 2006)
Cinema, as the most popular and accessible of the arts, arouses enthusiasm for its
incorporation into the educational sphere. Concepts such as "Education in Communication"
and "Audiovisual Literacy" show us that instances such as the Audiovisual Council of
Catalonia (CAC) and UNESCO, respectively, have included cinema, video, and television as
forms of transmission of culture comparable to the written word. Another striking example is
the widespread use of the term "media library" to replace the concept of "library" in French-

5
speaking countries, which means that no library in the future will be without audiovisual
materials. Although communication education" means teaching and learning about the media
as an object of study, "it must occur in formal and non-formal education. Consequently, it
must involve both children and adults... it must promote the spirit of community, social
responsibility, and personal autonomy" (AUDIOVISUAL COUNCIL OF CATALONIA, idem).
Since the 1950s, international organizations have suggested using film as part of
audiovisual education. In the document "Film Education," UNESCO indicates that education
in audiovisual media should take place at school, in the adolescent viewer "able to feel
beauty deeply while trying to find an attitude to the world of art. He can already appreciate
the aesthetic values of the seventh art if he is familiar with cinematographic language":
"Unesco has published this book because it believes that the best way to protect the
public, and particularly young people, against the errors and excesses committed in the
field of cinema and television, is to awaken, develop and train the critical sense of the
spectators, not to encourage them to criticize "for the sake of criticizing", but to choose
what is offered in such profusion, and to better understand the meaning of films. If
some are repulsed by the use of the word "criticism", we could say that it is necessary
to form the "taste" or - perhaps better still - the "judgment" of the spectator." (PETERS,
1961: 6)
The author points out that there are more and more indications that in different regions of
the world there is a concern to provide the public with a cinematographic culture, which
should not be reduced only to cinema films as such, but should also be extended to
television films. In many countries, film education already has a place in many schools, not
only as an extracurricular activity carried out by a film club, but also as one of the subjects
included in the curriculum.
To give an idea of the growing interest in this discipline, it will suffice to point out that,
according to indications given by the Society for Education in Film and Television in England,
which is very active in the United Kingdom, nearly 700 schools in that country were providing
film education to their pupils in 1960; that at a congress held in Vienna in 1960, the
International Catholic Office advocated the introduction of introductory courses in film and
television in school curricula; or that the International Youth Film Center in Brussels is
devoting an increasingly important part of its efforts to this initiation.

6
1.2 Media and Information Literacy Training Program (AMI)
The world has changed, and we citizens need keys to situate ourselves. Knowledge,
information, and technology are direct sources of power, constituting a paradigm shift in the
world. Therefore, citizens need the critical foundation and analytical tools that allow us to
become autonomous and rational social agents.
In this sense, technological and communicative changes require social and personal
awareness and responsibility that we do not currently have. Power imposes information
codes. The media or news impact is more important than reality itself. The dominant media
simplify the state of things in the world. Simple slogans and visions of reality are dictated,
almost always with an emotional response directed from those who elaborate those
messages with clear intentions. In a democratic world, citizens must be able to distinguish
the sense of these messages and have the necessary tools to understand the world in all its
complexity, to create independent and citizen information agencies so that the different
voices and ways of thinking exist in the world are heard.
To this end, UNESCO created the "Media and Information Literacy Training Program" for
teachers. One of the agency's main actions is promoting media and information-literate
societies, fostering universal access to information and knowledge, and developing
accessible, independent, and pluralistic media.
On the one hand, information literacy emphasizes the importance of access to information,
evaluation, and ethical use of that information. On the other hand, media literacy emphasizes
the ability to understand the functions of media, evaluate how those functions are performed,
and engage rationally with media for self-expression. The "AMI Curriculum" and
"Competency Framework for Teachers" incorporates both ideas. UNESCO's strategy
combines these two areas as competencys (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) needed for life
and work today. AMI" covers all media types and other information providers, such as
libraries, archives, museums, and the Internet, regardless of the technologies used. In
addition to linking different disciplines hitherto separated, and is governed by the following
principle: "to give citizens basic knowledge about the role of media and information devices
in democratic societies, whenever the function is performed correctly and citizens to critically
assess the quality of the content that is transmitted." (UNESCO, 2006)
Through the performance of teachers from various countries, a way of working is
proposed through which skills are developed and essential knowledge is acquired for citizens
of the 21st century. The idea is that people can participate in the media system through

7
technology while developing critical thinking and acquiring knowledge throughout life to
participate in the development of society and become active citizens. Today's organizations
must transform the media to become a two-way tool. Engage with the contents, respond to
the messages emitted by the electronic media, and give opinions.
UNESCO's mission is to create media and information literate societies through a
comprehensive strategy that includes the preparation of a model media and information
literacy program for teachers, streamlined access to international cooperation, the
development of guidelines for the elaboration of national media and information literacy
policies and strategies, the articulation of a comprehensive framework of media and
information literacy indicators, the creation of a media and information literacy university
network, the result of an international information center on media and information literacy,
the articulation and design of a global information center on media and information literacy
policy and strategy, the articulation of a comprehensive framework of media and information
literacy indicators, the creation of a university network for media and information literacy.

1.3 UNESCO's Alliance of Civilizations

"Alliance of Civilizations" is the name of the program adopted by the United Nations on April
26, 2007 under the General Secretariat of Ban Ki-moon, with the appointment of Jorge
Sampaio as High Representative of the United Nations. The organization's headquarters are
located in New York. The name is intended as an alternative to Samuel Huntington's thesis
of the "Clash of Civilizations", which held that the East and the West cannot but enter into a
war of annihilation.
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, in conjunction with UNESCO (2010),
proposes that Education and "Media Literacy" are new pedagogical methods that take into
consideration the new emerging cultures of the Information Society. Some prefer terms such
as "Media Education", "Educommunication", "Media Literacy", "Digital Literacy", or even
"21st Century Literacies". Researchers in the areas of Media Studies and Media Ecology are
also contributing to the development of new educational initiatives.
Through the thematic page on Media Education and Information, the Alliance promotes
global and multilingual exchange and cultural exchange through the development of Media
Education and Media Literacy. The Alliance has established a network of universities in
which the central area of research and social participation is the development of Media

8
Literacy and Media Education as a platform for intercultural dialogue. This network is part of
UNESCO's UNITWIN Chairs program.
For the Alliance of Civilizations, children and young people in industrialized societies are
in contact with technological media (television, Internet, video games, DVDs, radio, mobile
telephony, etc.) more than they spend in school. To a large extent, this technological contact
is oriented towards product sales or ideological propaganda. It is believed that young people
of this same generation talk to their families less than half the time that young people of the
previous generation used for the same purpose. The Alliance of Civilizations asks the
following questions: "Who is educating young people? Who is providing them with ethical
and social values? Who is providing them with role models to follow?" (UNAOC, 2010).
The Alliance of Civilizations wishes:
"... to contribute to the creation of an international community of knowledge that
promotes - locally and globally - pedagogical and legislative initiatives for the
development of media education and media literacy. Our objectives include promoting
dialogue, analysis and exchange of ideas and resources among researchers and policy
makers; as well as providing easy and quick access to didactic materials to educators
who are interested in implementing media education and media literacy in their
classrooms". (UNAOC, 2010)
This organization reports on the shortcomings in educational policy with respect to
technology in most countries. It notes that education to the new information technologies is
reduced to providing technical skills (how to use the computer) but does not develop the
critical sense necessary for its use, i.e. there is no "digitized education". Promoting the
expansion of the Internet is very important, but so is the development of educational
initiatives that teach media consumers how to critically interpret the information they receive.
Of special interest to us are its production initiatives for young people, such as the
Plural+ project, which seeks to encourage young people in developed countries to move
from being pure consumers of audiovisual content to become creators as well.

1.4 International Conference on Media and Information Literacy (MENA) in Knowledge

Societies
Within the framework of the International Conference on Media Literacy, it aims to raise
awareness of the importance of media literacy among communication professionals, the

9
education sector, policymakers, and the general public; to design professional policies and
strategies for the promotion of MLA, as well as to identify existing challenges; to contribute to
improving the global, regional and national response to MLA, such as in the assessment of
MLA competencies; to identify and promote best practices; and to strengthen international
cooperation among stakeholders. (UNESCO, 2012)

"Media and Information Literacy enriches people's ability to enjoy their fundamental
human rights (...) everyone has the right to freedom of expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers". (UNESCO 2012:
21)

Media and Information Literacy is part of lifelong learning to acquire competencys that
"equip citizens with the critical thinking skills that enable them to demand high-quality
services from the media and other information providers. Together, they foster an enabling
environment where media and other information providers can provide quality services."
(UNESCO 2011: 16)

Based on the recommendations of the UNESCO AMI expert group and the modules
developed in the curriculum that accompany the framework, three main thematic areas are
interrelated and have been broadly delineated within the curriculum under the AMI
Curriculum for Teachers. Knowledge and understanding of media and information for
democratic discourses and social participation. Evaluation of media texts and information
sources. Production and use of media and communication.

These have been articulated into six main areas of education in general so that teachers
can progressively develop them and create a curriculum framework. UNESCO (2012)
recognizes that today's society, in general terms, needs to apply a new notion of literacy,
which is plural, dynamic and situational, not only related to numerical and writing skills but
also related to competencies of identification, comprehension, creation, and communication
of information and other content, through any media or platform. Interpreting and producing
media messages using different tools or information channels also becomes vital. Such
abilities require individuals, communities, and nations to acquire new skills based on
contemporary notions of literacy.

10
1.5 The European Union, Education, and Cinema
For Pier Paolo Pasolini (2006), cinema and reality are read in an analogous way, cinema is
the "semiology of reality"; people's looks are read the same in life as in films, the cries, the
gestures. Following this thesis of the Italian filmmaker, the European Parliament is preparing
to defend the right of European students to learn about cultural heritage through cinema:
"...that film education contributes to the development of a critical spirit and the general
education of young people, as it enables them to combine knowledge of heritage and
awareness of the complexity of the universe of images and sounds... that education
through films, including the culture and language of cinema, enables citizens to reach a
critical understanding of the different forms of media, thus expanding and developing
the resources and horizons offered by the so-called digital literacy" (EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT, 2011).
Whereas all persons have the right to participate in the collective cultural life, enjoy the
arts, and, moreover. The art of cinema helps people to get to know each other by sharing the
same human experience and contributes to the formation of a European identity.
On December 20, 2007, the European Commission adopted a Communication entitled "A
European approach to media literacy in the digital environment," which focused on literacy
for commercial communication and addressed issues related to advertising and media
literacy for audiovisual works, which was partly intended to raise awareness of European
cinema and enhance creative skills and literacy for the online environment, so that, for
example, citizens would be provided with a better understanding of how the Internet and
search engines work.
One year later, the conclusions of the Council on Media Literacy adopted by the
Education, Youth and Culture Council (2008), support the strategic vision proposed by the
European Commission of media literacy as an important factor for active citizenship in
today's information society.
Furthermore, the Lisbon Council concluded that "audiovisual content industries create
added value by exploiting and reflecting European cultural diversity on the web". The
European Agenda for Culture, which was launched in 2007, sets out a strategic policy
framework to address the main challenges in the field of culture, while the May 2009 Council
conclusions on culture as a catalyst for creativity and innovation underline the specific
contribution that culture can make and call for a broader concept of innovation as part of the
post-2010 Lisbon strategy.

11
 The Commission aims to build consensus on critical aspects of media literacy
(definitions, objectives) and to support the analysis and exchange of good practices in the
digital environment, including the economics of the media sector in Europe, in particular
through the organization of meetings of the AVMS Contact Committee, the promotion and
support of activities under the MEDIA 2007 initiative, cooperation with the other European
institutions and international organizations such as the Council of Europe, UNESCO and the
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, and the promotion of a public-private partnership on
media literacy. (Official Journal 2009)
For the European Parliament, culture, film, television, music, literature, performing arts
and European heritage, and other related fields are to enjoy greater support under the
European Commission's new Creative Europe program, which to this end, has revised the
criteria for assessing Member States' support schemes for film and other audiovisual works
under EU state aid rules. In addition, the new Cinema Communication allows state aid for a
broader range of activities, underlines the decision-making power of Member States in
defining cultural activities eligible for support, introduces the possibility of granting more aid
to cross-border productions, and promotes film heritage.
Calls on the Member States and the Commission to provide financial support for the
complete digitization of EU cinema equipment and to establish European and national
programs to support the fastest possible transition to digital technologies and to promote the
circulation of European films in an audiovisual environment that is highly competitive
worldwide; stresses, in this regard, that programs should be adapted flexibly to practical
needs; Stresses that digital cinema should aim to improve the quality of picture and sound
(when the minimum 2K resolution is applied) to allow for more diversified and flexible
programming of live events, but also of delayed events and educational, cultural and sporting
events, as well as the use of a wide range of innovative technologies that will continue to
attract audiences in the future.
Stresses that it is essential to support and promote EU productions and recognizes that
the EU contributes significantly to digital creativity and innovation, such as 3D; Recognizes
that although the digitization of cinemas is a matter of top priority, a coherent technological
development must be taken into consideration, as further adaptations to newer projection
formats may be necessary for the medium and long term; Recalls that the European
transition to the digital cinema should aim at creating new opportunities for the distribution of

12
European films, maintaining the diversity of European production and improving its
accessibility for European citizens.
Considers that video on demand can provide European cinema companies with the
opportunity to reach a wider audience; Recognizes that creation and innovation are matters
of general interest, and insists that priority and support be given to program investments in
order to stimulate the supply of quality cultural content on networks; Urges small and
independent cinemas to take full advantage of their commercial potential, through product
diversification, adding value to the services they provide and utilizing the market segment
they occupy; Considers that digitalization represents a significant opportunity to promote the
presence of official regional languages in cinemas, as well as the learning of foreign
languages;
"... cinema is at the heart of the European cultural model. By embodying interpretations
of cultural diversity, the cinema demonstrates its cultural and industrial value for any
society wishing to exert its influence within its borders. Cinema is one of the cultural
manifestations most capable of arousing a sense of belonging to a shared space and,
in this case, giving life to a European spirit. Culture is a human and political
construction at the heart of cinema." (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 2013)
With its support for European cinema, the European Parliament and the LUX Prize wish
to address the challenge of finding new ways of communicating with EU citizens, making
European cinema one of the most potent mirrors of debate among the thousands of faces of
a pluralistic Europe that, in the face of the current economic, political and social crisis that
also threatens art, culture, and cinema, wishes to support European creativity and its
diversity. Furthermore, the support and backing of European cinema is a means of
overcoming the growing frontiers - both physical and psychological - that divide Europe.
Media literacy is often defined as the ability to access the media, understand and
critically evaluate various aspects of the media and media content, and establish forms of
communication in multiple contexts. Approaching audiovisual communication critically in
terms of both quality and accuracy of the content (e.g., with the ability to evaluate
information, discriminate between advertising in various media, or use search engines
intelligently);
The concept of literacy used by the European Parliament entails not only the reading of
film but also it is writing, a second floor of possibilities for film and audiovisual in the

13
classroom. Identifying experiences visually also entails their mental representation. Images
are fundamental in developing inventions, representing signs linked to cognitive processes.
"... media literacy implies possessing the skills to use the various media autonomously,
to understand and critically assess the various aspects of the media and their contents,
to communicate even in varied contexts and to create and disseminate media content;
it notes that, given the multiplicity of available sources, what is essential is the ability to
filter accurately and order the information obtained from the torrent of data and images
of the new media". (EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 2008:32)
The explanatory memorandum states that "European cinema in the digital age" is, first
and foremost, an invitation to question the very function of cinema: what role does it play in
creating and sustaining a civil society? The link between citizens and national or European
institutions is a fragile one. And at the heart of this delicate relationship is the question of our
individual and collective identity. But what does it mean to be a European citizen today?
Cinema provides a decisive answer.
Cinema should be seen as a political action aimed at shaping the European soul, as
Wim Wenders argued: "Europe has its soul, anchored in culture. And this culture has been
shaped by an instrument that forms the cornerstone of our individual and collective
consciousness and which, in turn, creates a European hope. This instrument is none other
than the cinema." (WENDERS quoted in BORYS, P. 2011:18) Wim Wenders' words should
guide any attempt to shape the future of European cinema.
Regarding the redefinition of cinema's role in the European context, "European Cinema
in the Digital Age" questions the public policies implemented to support European cinema.
On the one hand, cinema is a cultural tool where investments produce long-term intangible
results, and on the other hand, cinema conforms to an important sector of European
industry. If creation is the heart of culture, the industry would be its lung.
European cinema is facing its most significant challenge to cope with modern
technology's demands. The future of cinema is inextricably linked to the arrival of the digital
age. Modern technologies are transforming the audiovisual sector and pose challenges and
possibilities in terms of the production, distribution, and accessibility of European cinema.
Still, they also hold certain dangers regarding the transition from analog to digital. The
transformation process must be completed quickly and coordinated at the national and
European levels. Participation in this process must be the responsibility of both the public
and private sectors.

14
 European cinema has enormous potential. According to data from the European
Audiovisual Observatory, there are approximately 30,000 cinemas in the European Union.
Usually, these are small cinemas with only one or two screens. However, in recent years, the
digitization of cinemas has accelerated due to the production of digital films, mainly from the
United States, as well as the growing demand for 3D movies and streaming services.
In 2010, the number of cinemas with digital projectors was 8,682, more than double the
4,129 registered in 2009. The potential of European cinema also carries over to film
production. In 2010, 1 203 films were shot in Europe, compared with 754 in the United
States. Also, European cinemas sold nearly one billion tickets for European films,
representing 27% of the market. However, with all its potential, the European film market still
needs to be integrated, and the distribution of films within the EU is not easy. Accessibility to
cinemas is not balanced: in Western Europe, there are 16102 people per cinema, compared
to 40750 in Central and Eastern Europe.
In the framework of the financial perspectives for the 2014-2020 period, European
cultural authorities are promoting the revision of their audiovisual production programs,
especially MEDIA and MEDIA MUNDUS, to maintain strong financial support for cinema and,
in a broader sense, for culture and education. As they see it, acculturation and education are
two sides of the same coin.
Film education should provide the public with the necessary knowledge of the media and
help them better understand and appreciate the various contents available. Teaching citizens
to "interpret an image" as an integral element of education broadens their knowledge of the
world, shapes their perception and thought processes, develops their imagination, and helps
them learn the language of cinema. Introducing a young audience to the world of film culture
- thus broadening their knowledge - makes it possible to educate people who will maintain an
interest in valuable film creations and who will be able to appreciate them. As Professor
Erwin Panofsky pointed out in 1934: "it is the motion pictures that shape, more than any
other force, opinions, tastes, language, clothing, behavior and even physical appearance."
Member States' expenditure on film education is undoubtedly a profitable investment in
the long term. Member States are therefore urged to introduce film education into national
educational programs. Suppose we aspire to promote cultural diversity, on which the EU is
based. In that case, the choice of the European creative powers is clearly to invest in young
people, their education, and their possibilities for development.

15
France
The first international effort to provide technical and educational support to audiovisual media
professionals is CILECT, the International Liaison Center of Film and Television Schools.
The film schools that formed CILECT in 1955 set out to create a tool for education,
information, documentation, and research. To date, it has published a series of production
and animation manuals and carried out audiovisual projects and international congresses.
From 1944 to 1985, the IDHEC (Institut d'hautes études cinématographiques, Institute of
Advanced Film Studies) was the primary French film school for French and foreign
professionals. In 1985, it was restructured, and in 1986 La FEMIS was created. Since 1998,
FEMIS has been a public institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture and
Communication, which has trained more than 1,000 professionals over the past 25 years. It
has become a reference in France and abroad (especially in the European Union), offering
excellent training. Each year, out of 1,200 candidates who apply to join FEMIS, only 50 are
selected; it is also an institution that seeks to combine artistic research, professional
development, and technical training.
Together with the Louis Lumière, it is one of the two primary public film schools in
France and is part of the closed circle of world-renowned film schools, with the same concept
as the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, the University of Southern California (USC) in
Los Angeles, the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London or the Film and TV
School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) in the Czech Republic.

1.6 Cinema in Latin America

Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano (FNCL) was created to contribute to the
development and integration of our cinematographies and achieve the development of a
shared audiovisual universe, in addition to cooperating with the rescue and strengthening of
the cultural identity of Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded by the Latin American
Filmmakers Committee (C-CAL) on December 4, 1985. Today it is made up of filmmakers
from 18 countries. The FNCL structures its work around three strategic axes:
1. Development and integration of film in Latin America and the Caribbean. 2. Audiovisual
cultural heritage: Memory of diversity. The preservation of the cinematographic and
audiovisual memory of Latin America and the Caribbean, from its origins and in the different
media through which it has passed. From silent films to sound films, both fiction and
documentary, feature and short films, video -from the video of the native peoples to the

16
young digital video art- and multimedia productions. Secondly, the FNCL includes in this axis
the rescue, preservation, and dissemination of the documentary and visual memory of Latin
American and Caribbean cinematographies and their creators. 3. Cinema and audiovisual as
a cultural industry.
The Foundation works with the perspective of considering the strengthening of the film
and audiovisual industries as a fundamental guarantor of the expression of cultural diversity,
of the memory that treasures the existence of peoples, and the perspective of enriching the
socio-cultural references with an emphasis on the new generations whose fundamental
concerns come from audiovisual products.
On the other hand, FEISAL is an international non-profit civil entity whose primary
purpose is to promote, foster, and defend the interests, exchange, and cooperation among
higher education institutions of image and sound of Latin American and Caribbean countries.
It has more than 40 members from 11 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Within the framework of the First International Festival of Film Schools in Mexico City
and on the occasion of the Second Latin American Meeting of Film and Television Schools in
1990, it was decided to create the Federation of Schools of Image and Sound of Latin
America (FEISAL), with the purpose of "developing, through the joint action of its members,
the necessary conditions to promote and foster higher education and training of future image
and sound professionals in the region" (BERTONE, 2008).
At the technical-productive level: exchange school productions, exchange production
techniques and methodologies carry out student co-productions, exchange research results,
create and exchange video libraries, and develop a production and service database. In
addition, conduct inter-school co-productions linked to academic needs and exchange
inventories of technical resources, facilities, and services of member schools.
At the institutional level: to promote the relationship with organizations that can provide
support to the purposes of the Federation and each of its members, to participate in the
events organized by each member, to contribute to the preservation of the memory of
national cinematographies and to exchange the materials produced; to disseminate and
circulate the material produced by the schools, to promote the training of teachers in
audiovisual media oriented to all levels of education and to promote projects of common
interest (BERTONE, 2008).

17
By bringing together the experience of Latin American film schools, a common front of
resistance to the colonialist cultural power of Hollywood cinema is formed. National
cinematographies must be aware of the countercurrent work they carry out in the training of
their professionals to develop a countercultural, cooperative, and supportive work with other
member countries.

1.7. Film schools in Mexico

A group of young Mexican and Spanish critics -following the example of their French
colleagues- initiated this movement with the filming of "En el balcón vacío" (1961) by Jomí
García Ascot. The filming of "En el balcón vacío" (1961) encouraged the celebration, in
1965, of the First Experimental Feature Film Competition, organized by the film industry.
From this contest and the second, held in 1967, emerged directors such as Alberto Isaac,
Juan Ibáñez, Carlos Enrique Taboada and Sergio Véjar, who would develop an important
part of their careers in the seventies and eighties. (FERNÁNDEZ, 1988).
The so-called "New Mexican Cinema" of the 1990s had become a genre of its own that
was dedicated exclusively to portraying Mexico's social reality, always "from a look of
superiority, with a view to presenting itself at film festivals and prepared(s) for the avid and
voracious European cinephilia" (AYALA BLANCO, 1983). At the beginning of the 1960s, a
new generation of Mexican film critics began to make public notice of the need to renew the
practices of a moribund industry. Unlike other times, the critics of the sixties did not feel
obliged to defend Mexican cinema simply out of nationalism. What had been made in Europe
and other latitudes placed Mexican cinema in a very disadvantageous position. The public
had also changed. With more access to other film products and television, the middle class
had abandoned Mexican cinema in favor of Hollywood films. More sophisticated sectors of
the population preferred the novelties of the European avant-garde.
The origin of film directors in our country is regularly in one of the following categories:
professional photographers experimenting with the cinematographic camera (the case of
Rubén Gámez and the pioneering Alva brothers, Salvador Toscano, etc.), Mexicans trained
abroad, such as Emilio Fernández or Alejandro González Iñárritu, union members trained in
job training such as Carlos Enrique Taboada, foreigners who have requested and obtained
work in the country (Luis Buñuel) or called by the government to direct films (Carlos Saura)

18
and, more recently, students and graduates of film schools such as Emmanuel Lubezki or
Carlos Carrera.
Despite the self-taught origins of many of Mexico's most talented filmmakers, there is an
undeniable need for universities to be the main trainers of talent for the film industry and the
art of filmmaking, so that professionalization can enhance the potential of good stories,
technical and formal innovation, creative freedom, and so on. The greater number of
university graduates will give rise to a whole generation of enthusiastic film professionals
ready to embark on the long and difficult road of film production, with creative power as their
greatest weapon.
The UNAM's ENAC (formerly “CUEC”) is the oldest film school in Latin America and one
of the most prestigious in the world. Its main objective is to teach film expression and
techniques in order to train university professionals in the fields of Directing, Screenwriting,
Cinematography, Art Direction (scenography, set design and wardrobe), Sound, Editing and
Production.
At the end of the sixties, Mexican cinema was going through one of its worst stages. The
loss of the Latin American market, due to the thematic and artisanal poverty, reflected the
very painful situation of an industry that refused to renew itself. The Mexican film industry at
that time was already declining in the number and quality of its productions. To think of
teaching how to make a decent film at that time was therefore an act of resistance. In those
days, UNAM began to disseminate European and North American independent cinema
through film clubs in schools and faculties. From these experiences, the regular publication
of the first specialized magazines and the concern of the university students of the time, the
first film school in Latin America was created in 1963: the Centro Universitario de Estudios
Cinematográficos (University Center for Cinematographic Studies). From its first syllabus,
the ENAC / CUEC included a couple of courses on "Cinematographic Language", based on
the rules of classical cinematographic language, in the style of the book "Cinematographic
montage, art of movement" (SÁNCHEZ, 1994). The course was organized by Alfredo
Joskowicz in practical exercises, each one designed from one of the rules of classical
Hollywood language, called by Godard "institutional representation mode".
A practice to learn how to paste two locations on the same movement of an author,
another one to take care that the looks of the characters follow a spatial continuity, one more
to develop a choreographic mise-en-scène with camera movements. Film practices to place

19
the camera and paste invisible cuts, from simple narratives provided by the teacher in small
scripts.
For Manuel González Casanova, pioneer of university cinema and founder of the Centro
Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC).
"Cinema is one of the great means of education at our disposal since its teaching
extends to all social levels and all ages, influencing particularly the less educated
groups (therefore...) I [found] no other way than to procure an education, a high
education for those responsible for film production. If their function is that of teachers
who are going to educate the people, let's give them a teacher's education. If their work
contributes to transforming our culture and our attitude towards life, the least they
require is a university education". (JOSKOWICZ, 1996:28)
The curriculum was coherent with the reality of the film industry in the sixties; however, it
was never properly updated. Neither the arrival of video nor the creation of new film schools,
among them IMCINE's Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, meant a renewal of the
teaching of film language.
In CUEC's 1973 Report of Activities, González Casanova testifies to a difficult beginning
for the young center because, he said, "we started from absolute zero", since the activities
were carried out in small premises in the University City, it had neither the budget nor the
infrastructure to be considered a school, but it had all the enthusiasm of those who believed
in the need to make the creation of a university space dedicated to the systematic study of
cinema a reality.
Joskowicz participated in the design of the CCC's programs in 1975 and advised the
design of UPAEP's BA in Film and Audiovisual Production in 2008. The opportunity
represented by the formalization by competencies of a film language program is unique,
since the technical aspects of filmmaking would be evident, but above all, potentially also the
creative aspects, the solution of problems in an imaginative way, the proposal of themes, plot
twists, etc.
The school's social commitment was quickly endorsed when, in 1968, its students filmed
the Mexican student movement whose images would make up the feature-length
documentary "El grito" and become the most reproduced images in Mexico's contemporary
history. Its students documented the 1985 earthquake and the student movements of 1986
and 1999 with timeliness.

20
 Since 1972, he has been a member of the "Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles
de Cinéma et de Télévision" (CILECT) and currently heads its Ibero-American region, which
brings together 131 film schools from 55 countries on all continents. He is the founder of the
Federation of Schools of Image and Sound of Latin America (FEISAL).
After a first wave of university films that took strong creative risks, produced through the
collaboration of students and teachers, as in the case of the film "Moebius" at the
Universidad del Cine (WOLF, 2009) and even "Seres Humanos" by the Centro de
Capacitación Cinematográfica de México, we notice a tendency in the productions of the
most recent film schools against marginality, against any independent attitude, search,
attempt of experimentation and even political commitment. We can see an academicism, a
stiffness justified by concepts such as "quality". This lack of risk-taking in our country's
university production cannot be attributed to a single causal factor -even the most basic of
all, such as the Film Language class- but we imagine that there is an important component in
the type of film exercises that teachers request, encourage and grade with higher marks.
While we recognize the need for the learning of classic Hollywood Film Language within the
training of film professionals, we consider it of great importance to find a creative way to build
that knowledge.
At CUEC / ENAC, teachers and students collaborate in the production of short and
feature films, assuming spaces such as the Filmoteca, TV UNAM as bastions for the
preservation of audiovisual heritage, the promotion and dissemination among the Mexican
public and the creation of new materials in tune with the university spirit. Art faculties must be
the experimental field par excellence, the place where the most mistakes are made and the
most calculated risks are taken.
During 2008, Alfredo Naime Padua organized and designed the school project and
curriculum for the Bachelor's Degree in Film and Audiovisual Production for the Universidad
Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. The application was submitted in January 2009 to
the SEP, shortly after which the announcement of authorization arrived, "without requesting
corrections or adjustments," according to information from the university's CIAC and in an
interview with the degree coordinator. Classes began in August 2009 and it was granted the
Official Validity Registration a year later, with the code R.V.O.E. SEP-5/SES/2334/07, and its
founding director was Professor Naime Padua himself. At first, the degree was located in the
Department of Architecture, Design and Art. Subsequently, the UPAEP entered a process of
reengineering of its departments, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the UPAEP integrated the

21
LCPA to the area in 2011 and was admitted to the Federation of Schools of Image and
Sound (FEISAL) in 2013.
The UPAEP defines the vocational profile of the bachelor's degree in Film and
Audiovisual Production (CPA) as follows:
"Films do not make themselves. Thus, the Bachelor's Degree in Film and Audiovisual
Production trains a competent professional to develop in any of the stages and
processes of the production of filmic discourses, significant, both for their training in
written, visual and technical languages, as well as for a humanistic training that is the
basis of their professional ethical commitment" (UPAEP, web).
The following is the syllabus of the subject Film Language I, before our intervention, as it
was included around 20010 in the syllabus of the BA in Film and Audiovisual Production at
UPAEP:
a. How to cut between shots.
 Direct cut, dissolution, fades.
 The description of a plan. Shot scale and over-shoulder. Camera height.
 Shooting format, shot number, camera shot, camera height or angle (if necessary),
character, action description, and dialogue reference (if any).
 Shooting list, examples
b. Cut on the same action
 General rules
 Camera angles and shots
 Overlap
 Matching
c. Bipolarity
 Kulechov effect
 Point of view (POV)
 Parallel narratives
 Parallel actions
 Ellipsis
 Flashback
The plan in the table above is very similar to the one used in other film schools in the
country, such as the CCC and the ENAC / CUEC, initially proposed by Alfredo Joskowicz.

22
 For each content, students carry out an exercise with a standard script, and the result is
reviewed through projection in class, although this procedure varies from teacher to teacher.
It should be noted that in classes similar to this one, carried out in other film schools
in our country, the planning and contents of the course are usually reminiscent of the guild or
trade form of teaching. We have observed that knowledge is shared from teacher to student,
based on exercises similar to those developed by Alfredo Joskowicz at the CUEC and the
CCC, and only the teacher, generally a former student of Professor Alfredo, is the one who
knows what to observe in each exercise and can provide feedback to the students.
Notably, those who have designed the course, in the case of professors Carlos Hugo
Gómez Oliver, Javier Bourges, and myself, are graduates of the film career and participated
in that subject as students of the same film schools, the ENAC / CUEC and the CCC. After
the experience of working on the instructional design of "Audiovisual Language I" at UPAEP,
it is essential to make explicit the content of the topics, the nature of the exercises, and the
specific skills in development.

23
24
 CHAPTER II. THEORY
We begin this chapter by developing the concept of competencies and their implementation
in Higher Education programs; we address competency-based art education, the experience
of the Alfa Tuning Project, and the document that governs the competency-based approach
at the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. Later in the chapter, we define
constructivism as the basis for our didactic intervention because the work of constructivist
authors Piaget, Ausubel, Dewey, Bruner, and Vygotsky allow us to understand the
conformation of artistic appreciation and expression competencies, from early childhood to
professional training, and throughout life.

2.1. Competencies in higher education

The trend to use the competency-based approach in higher education programs is already
some years old, and the development of competencies has become a central theme in
education for developing intellectual, practical, instrumental, or artistic skills.
For Guglietta (2011), introducing competencies in Higher Education essentially responds
to the need to align the educational world with the world of work. The labor market requires
agents of change, which requires universities to train flexible, autonomous, and
entrepreneurial graduates: "The challenge is to train professionals with ethical commitment,
capable of understanding the world and its complexity and transforming it for the benefit of
all." The traditional emphasis on objective knowledge no longer satisfies the requirements of
a changing society. The document "Complex Knowledge and Educational Competencies" by
UNESCO (2009) reports that competency-based education and training have gained unusual
momentum around the world, particularly in countries that set out to offer young people a
relevant, effective, and efficient education and state that the concept:
"...refers to the idea of meaningful learning...the ability, expressed through knowledge,
skills, and attitudes, required to perform a task intelligently, in a real environment or
another context...is the result of an integration process, is associated with criteria of
execution or performance and implies responsibility." (AGUERRONDO, 2009:8)
The critical foundation of a logic of competencies is contextualized activity. competency
cannot simply be the description of an action or behavior; it is much more than that,
transcending this reduced vision and treating competency as an "organizing structure of
activity." Knowing means adapting to situations, understanding how to take advantage of
them, and not being carried away by events. Therefore, the subject's activity must be

25
organized, with a mixture of invariability and adaptation to circumstances. It must be ensured
that there are training organizers, and to analyze a competency is to be able to identify these
organizers.
"In this sense, to be competent is not simply to apply a set of knowledge to a situation.
Instead, it is to be able to organize one's activity to adapt to the characteristics of the
situation. competency then becomes the dynamic organizing structure of the activity,
which allows the person to adapt to a type of situation, based on his experience,
activity, and practice" (PASTRÉ, 2005:8).
A competency is a more or less specialized system of capabilities, competencies, and skills
necessary to achieve a specific objective. It is the ability to respond to demands and perform
tasks adequately. It arises from combining practical skills, knowledge, motivation, ethical
values, attitudes, emotions, and other social and behavioral components that are mobilized
together to achieve effective action (OECD, 2002).
The National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutes (ANUIES) defines
competencies as:
"The set of knowledge, skills, and abilities, both specific and transversal, that a
graduate must have in order to meet social demands fully. Promoting competencies is
the objective of educational programs. Competencies are abilities that a person
develops gradually and throughout the educational process and are evaluated at
different stages. They can be divided into competencies related to professional training
in general (generic competencies) or to an area of knowledge (specific to a field of
study)" (ANUIES, 2006:4).
The concept of competency focuses on learning outcomes, what the student can do at
the end of each stage of the educational process, and providing them with what is necessary
to continue learning throughout life. From this perspective, professional competency is a
person with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to exercise a profession, can solve
problems autonomously and flexibly, and can collaborate in their professional environment
and work organization.
We must remember that the competency-based approach considers that knowledge is
not a predetermined way of acting, written in stone, but its use in specific situations of
personal, social, and professional life. Thus, students require a solid base of knowledge and
particular skills integrated for the same purpose in a given context; the quality of the learning

26
process is more important than the quantity of memorized data. Effective learners need to be
able not to store knowledge but to know where and how to search for and process it.
In this sense, their formulation is general, although they can be formulated in levels of
concreteness: a higher complexity competency can be broken down into simpler
competencies; they also vary in their development and level of achievement according to the
degrees of complexity and mastery. That is to say, and the same competency can begin to
develop from the earliest age and continue to do so at the age of eighty, as can be the
appreciation of cinema, only that its development is manifested in different development
indicators.
Therefore, competencies are valuable, significant, representative, or pertinent according
to specific situations, intentional actions, and the cognitive and material resources available;
aspects that are constituted and expressed in a gradual and differentiated manner in the
student's formative process and operate a change in the logic of didactics. They are
developed and integrated through processes of contextualization and signification for
pedagogical purposes so that knowledge can be taught and learned and can be mobilized by
students during their learning.
Perrenoud says about the need to put the application of competencies in context:
"a) Competencies are not in themselves knowledge, skills or attitudes, although they
mobilize, integrate or orchestrate such resources. b) This mobilization is only relevant
in a situation, and each situation is unique, even if it can be treated by analogy with
others already known. c) The exercise of competency involves complex mental
operations supported by schemes of thought, which make it possible to determine
(more or less consciously and quickly) and carry out (more or less efficiently) an action
relatively adapted to the situation. d) Professional competencies are created in the
training process, but also at the mercy of the daily navigation of the practitioner from
one work situation to another" (Perrenoud, 2004:11). (PERRENOUD, 2004:11)
For this reason, it is necessary for teachers to personally verify the development of the field
practices, observing the growth of the exercises and the individual and collective action of
the work.

2.2. Arts education by competencies

Agirre points out that "arts education is the best breeding ground for imagination and
creativity, but also for problem-solving and the development of convergent and divergent

27
thinking" (AGIRRE, 2009). (AGIRRE, 2009) The paradigm of competencies offers
audiovisual language teachers a new way of organizing and working. The opportunity to
evaluate, manage and systematize the particular progress of students far from the
mystifications of talent or lack thereof.
By its very nature, film learning requires a holistic approach; film teachers must empower
the students' inner voice and provide the tools to represent through audiovisual language,
construct messages, analyze reality, and create. Audiovisual competencies also involve
finding students' strengths and getting them to identify their creative voices. They must allow
access to the democratized technology of cameras and editing software and bring them
closer to storytelling strategies. The Association of Master Artists offers the following list of
core competencies as a guide to formal art teaching and learning:
In art forms, knowledge of its primary formal language, knowledge of trends, history,
and styles of the discipline, and knowledge of critical artists in art history, both classical
and contemporary. Understanding the creative process (e.g., inspiration, planning,
developing an idea, using materials and techniques, expression). An understanding of
the classroom environment, pedagogy, human development, processes and products,
and continuity in the art experience. The ability to plan a lesson, including planning, to
execute, and socializing the results. (AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS, 2012).
Art competency contains three fundamental components:
 The action.
 The conceptual construct.
 The context or performance condition of that competency.
Consequently, when defining students' abilities to design and perform audiovisual
sequences, we must consider learning language theory, developing spatial conceptualization
skills, and attitudes towards cooperative work in diverse audiovisual production conditions.
The film continues to evolve as an art, a craft, and a science; in its development, film schools
play an essential role in training new cadres. In filmmaking and teaching, learning never
ends; therefore, students should receive all the support, tools, and resources available
through industry associations, guilds, public agencies, and organizations that allow them to
improve the skills of new filmmakers.

28
2.3. Alfa tuning project
One of Europe's most significant projects in higher education, which has been expanding
towards Latin America and Mexico, is the Tuning of Educational Structures in Europe. The
participants in the development of this project chose the English word "to tune," which means
"to tune" in musical terms, to convey the idea that universities seek to jointly reach common
points of reference based on consensus, respect for diversity, transparency, and mutual
trust.
In the project, the word is kept in the gerund to clarify that it is in process and always will
be because education needs to be in dialogue with social needs. That is, it starts from the
premise that a social and economic area has to go parallel to a place of education (TUNING,
2007).
In the year 2000, a group of universities agreed to work collectively on the development
of the pilot project they called Tuning, in which two temporary phases were proposed to
understand the study plans and make them comparable; the first phase ran from 2000 to
2002 and the second from 2003 to 2004. During this period, they proposed to develop four
lines of action:
1. Generic competencies
2. Specific competencies of the subject areas
3. The role of the ECTS system as a credit transfer and accumulation system
4. The approach to learning, teaching, and evaluation concerning quality assurance and
control
This project defines competencies as "dynamic combinations of knowledge, skills, and
attitudes and represents what those who take the program should be able to do at the end"
(TUNING, 2007).
The Alfa Tuning Latin America project originated as an independent project, promoted
and coordinated by Universities from different countries, both Latin American and European.
The Alfa Tuning project takes up the basic concepts and methodology of the Tuning
Educational Structure in Europe project, and to achieve the purposes mentioned earlier and
objectives, it also programs the development of four lines of action 1) Generic and specific
competencies, 2) Approaches to teaching, learning, and evaluation, 3) Academic credits and
4) Program quality.

29
 Generic competencies aim to identify those shared attributes that could be generated in
any degree program and that are considered necessary by society and common to all or
almost all degree programs.
Specific competencies are those related to each subject area and area of great
importance for any degree program because they are specifically associated with the
particular knowledge of a subject area. They are also known as skills and competencies
related to academic disciplines and give identity and consistency to the programs.
Ability to apply knowledge in practice; 3. Ability to organize and plan time; 4. Knowledge
of the area of study and the profession; 5. Social responsibility and civic commitment; 6.
Ability to learn and update constantly; 11. Ability to search, process and analyze information
from diverse sources; 12. Critical and self-critical ability; 13. Ability to act in new situations;
14. Creative power; 15. Ability to identify, pose and solve problems; 16. Ability to motivate
and lead towards common goals; 20. Commitment to the preservation of the environment;
21. Loyalty to their socio-cultural environment; 22. Appreciation and respect for diversity and
multiculturalism; 23. Ability to work in international contexts; 24. Ability to work
autonomously; 25. Ability to formulate and manage projects; 26. Ethical commitment; 27.
Commitment to quality (MEDINA, 2011).
Many of these competencies are essential in Latin American film schools, as we face the
challenge of developing independent projects, participating in cultural industries displaced by
the market hegemony of North American companies, and working with limited resources.

2.4. A constructivist view

According to Coll in Zubiría (2004), the competency-based approach to higher education is
based on the constructivist approaches to cognitive, psychosocial and sociocultural
development.
Thus, if education in the twenty-first century is integrated into life, and is developed in
real learning contexts, its challenges are to satisfy the demand for workers capable of
incorporating themselves into efficient production in the international market, while at the
same time it must train citizens for the more democratic and just societies to which the
human race aspires. In a changing world, the relationship between knowledge and reality
presents a challenge to which the constructivist paradigm responds. Through language, the
environment is known, represented and transformed. The subject knows and engages with

30
his environment, which affects his cognitive development and his ability to perform
fundamental tasks.
"Constructivism proposes answers for these open sociocultural contexts, in which
contents, materials and educational resources... become facilitators of multiple
interactions and perspectives for the representation and internalization of knowledge".
(ZUBIRIA, 2004)
We consider ideal the formation of a constructivist working group, in which cooperation
happens in an atmosphere of trust, mutual support and creativity, with the guidance and
direction of teachers who are close enough to give advice and find the difficulties and
mistakes; but are also at the right distance to let minds fly, as in a child's game when parents
are not in sight. Teachers go and return just in time, when needed.
"Constructivism has significant implications in the teaching-learning processes of the
21st century, from the formulation of educational objectives focused on competency-
based education, to the construction of knowledge through the creation of zones of
proximal development, focused on enhancing capabilities at both intrapsychological
and interpsychological levels" (ZUBIRIA, 2004: 89).
The constructivist approach to education is nourished by different psychological theories
that share the importance given to the student's activity of constructing his or her learning.
The learner contributes elements that relate to and transcend what the learning situation
offers. Consequently, the pedagogical process should start from the learner's cognitive
capacities, knowledge and previous experiences; it should also promote cooperative work,
reciprocal teaching among equals and experience with real problems, in order to facilitate the
construction of meanings (DÍAZ and HERNÁNDEZ, 1999). In the educational process, the
learner is also a teacher, he/she is necessarily active. Knowing that the ultimate goal of the
pedagogical intervention is to develop in the student the ability to make significant learning
by himself/herself in a wide range of situations and circumstances: learning to learn (COLL,
1993).
From constructivist parameters, competency-based education places the need to
achieve in students the transfer of knowledge not only in the immediate context, but to life
itself, to what they live here and now, and also to what they may need to be able to enhance
their future life. In this way, contents that have an integral meaning for life are proposed.
In this way, the constructivist conception is organized around three fundamental ideas:
The first tells us that the learner is ultimately responsible for his own learning process. He is

31
the one who constructs (or reconstructs) the knowledge of his cultural environment; he can
be an active subject when he manipulates, explores, discovers or invents, even when he
reads or listens to the exposition of others. The second indicates that the learner's
constructive mental activity is applied to content that already has a considerable degree of
elaboration. This means that the student does not always have to discover or invent in a
literal sense all school knowledge, since the knowledge taught in educational institutions is
actually the result of a process of construction at a social level, students and teachers will
find already defined a good part of the curricular contents. The third idea is that the teacher's
function is to grease the student's construction processes with the culturally originated
collective knowledge. This implies that the teacher's role is not limited to creating optimal
conditions for the student to deploy a constructive mental activity, but that he/she must
explicitly and deliberately guide and guide this activity. The construction of school knowledge
is actually a process of elaboration, in the sense of possessing the various competencies or
skills required, such as understanding, remembering, synthesizing, knowing, etc., so that the
student can correctly develop this activity in the classroom. (COLL, 1990).
Therefore, we consider that the educational principles associated with the constructivist
conception of learning-teaching are the following:
Learning implies an internal constructive process, self-structuring and in this sense, it is
subjective and personal, it is facilitated by mediation or interaction with others, therefore, it is
social and cooperative; it is a process of (re) construction of cultural knowledge and the
degree of learning depends on the level of cognitive, emotional and social development, and
on the nature of the knowledge structures.
The starting point of all learning is the learner's previous knowledge and experiences, so
learning involves a process of internal reorganization of schemas and occurs when what the
learner already knows conflicts with what he/she should know or learn.
Learning has an important affective component, so the following factors play a crucial
role in it: self-knowledge, the establishment of motives and personal goals, willingness to
learn, teachers' attributions of "success" and "failure", mutual expectations and
representations; therefore, it requires contextualization: students must work with authentic
and culturally meaningful tasks, and they need to learn to solve meaningful problems, which
is facilitated by supports that lead to the construction of cognitive bridges between the new
and the familiar, and with potentially meaningful learning materials. Planned materials,

32
procedures and situations can also be modified as we get to know the learners and what is
meaningful, engaging or necessary for them.
The constructivist conception of learning and teaching starts from the obvious fact that
the school makes accessible to its students aspects of culture that are fundamental for their
personal development, and not only in the cognitive area; education is the engine for the
fairest development for all, which implies including also the capacities for personal balance,
social insertion, interpersonal relations and motor skills. It is also based on a well-established
consensus regarding the active nature of learning, which leads us to accept that this is the
result of a personal construction, but in which not only the learner intervenes; the significant
"others", the cultural agents, are essential elements for this personal construction, for this
development to which we have alluded.
From this conception, we developed this proposal, always bearing in mind that when
working with adults, each student can take responsibility for the construction, so that
teachers stop being, more and more, a kind of containers that deposit knowledge in others
"who do not know".

2.4.1. Piaget
The psychogenetic approach considers knowledge a process in which subject and object
establish an indissoluble relationship. In the audiovisual thing, the association is built
between natural and iconic objects, symbolic objects, for which the development of the
subject's capacity for abstraction is fundamental:
"Representation, on the other hand, is characterized by the fact that it goes beyond the
present, extending the field of adaptation in time and space...It evokes what is located
outside the immediate, perceptual, and active field. Therefore, the representation is the
union of a signifier that allows evoking a signifier brought by thought. In this respect,
the collective institution of language is the main factor in forming and socializing
representations". (PIAGET, 1999: 273)
The world and its languages are apprehensible through practice, so educational
programs must include a good dose of fieldwork and contextualization in reality; the
relationship with the world is back and forth, with an emphasis on the work of students:
"A reciprocal interaction in which the subject gets to know the object more and more
because it gets closer to it.... by making use of the structures it possesses, it creates a
more and more finished representation of the object... the object moves further away

33
 from the subject... the object becomes more complex and poses new problems to the
subject and is never completely known" (HERNÁNDEZ, 2009: 26).
Piaget considers the students' will, desires, and ability to choose the most exciting
activities paramountly. This natural impulse that provides autonomy is logical and necessary
in art learning, where creativity is stimulated, and students' free expression is possible. Ways
to capture the group's interest include the implementation of projects of collective good,
recounting daily activities, essential experiences, etc. At higher levels, there is usually
flexibility in content that is not possible in the early stages of education, allowing the
curriculum to accommodate the projects, considering them the core of the coursework.
"Active methods that require a kind of work that is both spontaneous and guided by the
questions posed, and work in which the learner rediscovers and reconstructs truths
rather than receiving them ready-made, are as necessary for the adult as for the
child...it should be remembered that each time an adult approaches new problems, his
sequence of reactions resembles how reactions occur in the course of mental
development." (PIAGET, 1965:43)
The instruments and activities must respond to the cognitive structures of the students
and to the course curriculum, and the teaching schemes must prepare didactic situations that
function as fertile ground for practice, the reconstruction of knowledge, and the discovery of
the contents that have been hidden under the activities for them to find. The opportunities for
school work provided by the psychogenetic approach open the door to learning beyond the
classroom, to the discussion among classmates regarding a problem to be faced collectively,
and to the path to the object of study in an exciting way.
According to Piaget, development aims at "moral and intellectual autonomy:
"The main objective of education is to create men capable of doing new things, not
simply repeating what other generations have done: men who are creative, inventive,
and discoverers. The second objective of education is to form minds that can criticize,
verify, and not accept everything offered to them" (PIAGET, 1964, cit, in HERNÁNDEZ,
2009).
This autonomy is vital to us in our training as artists since the art we are interested in is
the one that is not made in molds but the one that provides a unique way of seeing the world
and relating to it, in addition to the role that collective work plays in the learning of
cinematographic language, which both Vygotsky and Piaget have amply explained.

34
 "The main goal of education is to create men capable of doing new things, not simply
repeating what other generations have done; men who are creative, inventors and
discoverers." (PIAGET in ROMAN, 2005:46).
We propose a new attitude in which students do not receive prefabricated truths but
become the constructors of their knowledge. Teachers can be creative in planning and
developing strategies and intentional actions. Being innovative and highly motivated in their
profession, they propose varied activities. Like jazz performers, they can adapt to the
conditions posed by diverse students and groups.

2.4.2. Ausubel
Active education invites us to pose problematic situations that mobilize students' interests
and move them to action. Students in this new stage of education listen, detect problems,
communicate and seek collaboration with other interested parties to solve concrete
problems. As opposed to the memoiristic retention of information, Ausubel proposes
meaningful learning, which, although not limited to school and university, is considered a
privileged space for accessing semantic memory and modifying cognitive structures.
Filmmakers and film students have appropriate knowledge related to fiction and two-
dimensional representation throughout life; in a constructive process in which they acquire
semantic clarity, relevant anchors in theory, intellectual development, practice, and
motivation to draw on available material and academic resources, keeping their eyes open at
all times to the phenomena of reality, human relations and cultural and artistic
manifestations.
Meaningful learning, theorized by Ausubel (1983), proposes to defend and practice a
fundamental change in the subject. If we refer to the concept of learning: as a "process of
interaction that produces internal changes, modification of the processes in the psychological
configuration of the subject actively and continuously" (GONZÁLEZ SERRA, 2000), we will
see that in meaningful learning, these changes will be produced by new knowledge, which
will acquire a personal sense and a logical coherence in the cognitive structures of the
learner. Changing the memorization and mechanization of learning content with the
construction of meaning.
"The learner must manifest [...] a readiness to relate new material substantially and not
arbitrarily to his cognitive structure, such as that the material he learns is potentially

35
 meaningful to him, i.e., relatable to his knowledge structure on a non-arbitrary basis"
(AUSUBEL, 1983: 48).
Meaningful learning must contemplate the logical meshing of new knowledge with that
already formed in the students' cognitive structures. In this way, an individual's ability
emerges knowledge of him for him.
In this sense, materials and practices coherently and non-arbitrarily relate existing
structures to new knowledge. In this way, meanings "appear" in each cognizing subject
uniquely. Therefore, an audiovisual course following Ausubel's theory should lean towards
discovery; that is, it will not be the same for everyone; it will not answer "how things should
be done." Nevertheless, students should be aware of the reasons behind the norms of
cinematographic language and thus be able to take a position in front of them.
One of the conditions for meaningful learning to occur is that the new abilities be
incorporable into the learner's cognitive structure in a non-arbitrary and non-literal manner. A
material with this characteristic could be meaningful and consider two significant factors: its
nature and relation to the learner's cognitive structure. Accordingly, a distinction should be
made between logical meaning and psychological meaning (MOREIRA, 1994).
Logical meaning refers to the inherent sense of certain types of symbolic materials by
the very nature of those materials. The evidence of analytical importance lies in the
possibility of relating material and ideas substantively and not arbitrarily.
Psychological meaning, in turn, is an entirely distinctive experience. It refers to relating,
in a substantive and non-arbitrary way, logically meaningful material to the learner's cognitive
structure individually. "The subject matter to be taught may thus have logical meaning, but
lack meaning in its substantive and non-arbitrary relationship to the cognitive structure of a
particular learner" (RIOSECO and ROMERO, 1999).
We are excited about the possibility of building a solid relationship between the most
basic representation skills, such as photography and drawing, with other more complex skills
in the construction of audiovisual representation competency. No one comes to film school
blank. On the contrary, we must all draw on our previous structures in skill, taste, and
creation.

2.4.3. Dewey
John Dewey is considered the father of experiential education. His work has laid the
foundations for the theory of experiential learning. Many theorists have explored the fields his

36
work opened and applied them in various contexts. In particular, the possibility of using his
approach to art and audiovisual education deserves our attention.
For John Dewey, preparation must be for the present life, attending to the concerns of
children's lives, much more than "for its disciplinary value... it substitutes the exercise of such
faculties as memory or will... for interest and effort... it rejects rote learning... and replaces it
with action-based teaching." (ESPOT, 2006)
The key to his theory revolves around activities; to learn is to act. This action is done in
freedom, never as part of a rigid or authoritarian project. In Dewey's theory, revision and
correction are allowed, as in Celestin Freinet's practical experimentation, confronting
traditional models that choose all the options beforehand without considering the students.
This author not only criticizes the conventional model but also offers an alternative. The
characteristics of this education can be used in the training of filmmakers as follows:
"Experiential education is learning by doing. 2. Experiential education is an educational
strategy that connects classroom theory with real-world practice. 3. 3. Experiential
education is the active participation of students in an experience that has real-world
consequences. 4. Experiential education is practically a "must" in technical education
for education in the new millennium. 5. 5. Experiential education is a process of
education based on learning by direct contact experience and utilizing all the senses. 6.
Experiential education is not separate from traditional education but complements it by
offering opportunities. Experiential education is a process that differs from traditional
education by holding that people individually and collectively construct knowledge".
(HANDLEY, 2002)
In keeping with experiential education, we value the possibility of a model that allows
experimentation and creativity from the classroom content to offer solutions and different
ways of looking at things. It can include case studies of filmmakers, developing a critical eye,
remaking films, or making new films with new knowledge acquired. A film industry focus can
be incorporated into the business incubation subjects in the undergraduate curriculum,
where projects and stories are developed and pitched to understand how the film industry
works and gain professional life experiences.
It is essential to learn through experimentation and mistakes. Filmmakers learn through
trial-and-error experimentation which is a component of informal learning (MARSICK and
WATKINS, 1990), although not only because it allows investigation with the "deconstruction,
construction and reconstruction of images and ideas in the classroom." Learning from

37
mistakes is an example of incidental learning where activities and insights can and do occur
to combine with informal learning.
We can understand learning from mistakes as the moment filmmakers recognize what
they have to change to improve the next time. For the American John Dewey, only some
experiences are educational. He considers that some experiences create the opposite of
learning, distort them, impede their growth, and "reduce the field to a furrow." (DEWEY,
2004). The idea of classroom work should lead us to set in motion mental forms and
schemes, habits, prejudices, and preconceptions; in this way, we will be able to include new
information and develop new techniques—these kinds of real learning experiences, those of
doing, that interest us.

2.4.4. Bruner
Bruner states that effective teaching will arise only from the understanding of the learning
process itself, which is closely linked to the knowledge we gain about our process or way of
thinking; for this, he points out that human beings have a remarkable capacity to distinguish
objects or processes in their environment. He notes that for a person to make sense of his
environment, he has to select from an infinite number of discriminable objects that seem to
have something in common and then consider them as a simple category or a manageable
group of types. What the person does is conceptualize or categorize.
For Jerome Bruner, conceptualization is "the process by which human beings classify
objects and events, in a meaningful way, as a way of discriminatively understanding what
surrounds them." (MARTÍNEZ SALANOVA, 2010)
He is also interested in the evolutionary stages of intellectual development, which has to
do with the mode of representation of the external world. An increasing independence of
thought characterizes these stages of mental growth. They are progressive stages of
cognitive and organic development, each building on the one that precedes it and preparing
for the one that follows. The story of self-explanation enables the pupil to move from
adaptive behavior to the conscious use of logic and reasoning.
Through the process of independence of thought, we move from concrete actions to
abstractions, a stage in which we deal with codes of categories of symbols. The intermediate
stage is called by Bruner "iconic representation."
Representation by image, or iconic representation, constitutes a higher level of
autonomy of thought. Ideas become significant summaries of action, focusing on shape,

38
size, and color. The iconic model is governed primarily by principles of perceptual
organization.
This representation is manifested through words. Symbols are arbitrary; their reference
to things is very remote, "and they are almost always markedly productive or generative in
the sense that a language or any system of symbols has rules for the formation and
transformation of sentences that can give an exact sense of reality much more than would be
possible utilizing images or acts." (BRUNER in CHAVARRÍA, M., 1985:43). Symbolic
representation constitutes a model that serves to solve problems.
Bruner emphasizes learning by discovery, in which the student is the central axis,
confronting the student with increasing challenges to enhance their ability to solve
problematic situations and then transfer their learning to new problems, so the learner must
be induced to participate in this process actively.
Learning by discovery implies that the curriculum is not presented in its final form but
must be reconstructed by the learner before being assimilated or meaningfully incorporated
into his cognitive structure; the learner has to reorder the information, integrate it with his
cognitive network and reorganize or transform the integrated combination so that the
expected learning takes place.
In this sense, Bruner's studies in language learning may well explain the learning
processes of the so-called "cinematographic language." However, we understand that
audiovisual images do not have a syntax identical to language; in some way, the montage
entails an ordered juxtaposition of graphic ideas, for which this author's notion is significant:
"To understand the structure of a subject is to understand it in such a way that it can be
related to many other things meaningfully. In short, knowing the structure is to
understand how things are related." (BRUNER, 1977)

2.4.5. Vygotsky
From Lev Vygotsky, we have taken up the concept of thought formation through language as
a means and privileged place for forming ideas and the zone of proximal development.
For this author, language is an instrument that makes it possible to represent reality while at
the same time serving to regulate and control social exchanges. Learning to use language
cannot be reduced to a knowledge of the rules that govern its system but must mean
learning to use it in actual contexts of production and reception. From his position, there is a
continuous dynamic relationship between language and thought that originates, changes,

39
and grows during their evolution; they are complementary processes, interrelated and related
to other affective, social, and motor psycho-evolutionary aspects, etc. (VYGOTSKY, 1988).
At the same time, they state that the individual's relationship with his external reality is
not simply biological since, through appropriate instruments, he can extend his capacity for
action on it. Among these instruments, he attributes a special place to language, which
allows him to act on reality through others and puts him in contact with the thoughts of others
and with culture, which reciprocally influences him.
In this way, it can be affirmed that thought, like the other higher psychic functions, has a
social origin and is the consequence of a social relationship and not the result of the
unfolding of the possibilities of an isolated individual.
From graphic language to the decoding of audiovisual images, we can move on to the
ability to create images as a form of expression of film professionals, emphasizing the
freedom of experience, practice directed or promoted in class, but ultimately free.
"The mastery of graphic language...and finally musical language...allows...him to
achieve new forms of interpersonal and intrapersonal behavior that impact his balance,
interaction, adaptation and active transformation concerning his sociocultural
environment" (VYGOTSKY cit, in ZUBIRIA, 2004).
On the other hand, it emphasizes the active role of the subject in every learning process,
as well as in artistic creation:
"We call creative activity every creative human realization of something new, whether it
be reflections of some object in the external world, or certain constructions of the brain
or of feeling that live and manifest themselves only in the human being himself"
(Vygotsky, 1988:100).
All students learn from their teachers through social interaction and language; if it were
optional to learn this way with teachers' and peers' help and guidance, schools would not
exist. Vygotsky considers learning as one of the fundamental mechanisms of development.
In his opinion, the best learning is one that anticipates growth. In his model of education,
context occupies a central place. Social interaction becomes the engine of development. He
introduces the concept of the "zone of proximal development," which is the distance between
the actual development level and the potential growth level.
Learning, according to Vygotsky, includes two aspects: the importance of the social
context and the capacity for imitation. Learning and development are two interacting
processes. We add that learning occurs more frequently in collective situations and more

40
richly in diversity. The Zone of Proximal Development is defined as the distance between the
actual level of development, determined by independent problem-solving, and the level of
growth possible through problem-solving with adult guidance or collaboration of more
experienced peers to reach it. The educator and learner work together on tasks that the latter
needs help performing, given the level's difficulty. In addition, the ZPD incorporates collective
activity, in which those who "know more" or "are more skilled" will share their knowledge and
skills with those who know less to complement knowledge.
"...the distance in the actual level of development, determined by the ability to solve a
problem independently, and the level of potential development, determined through
solving a problem under the guidance of an adult or in collaboration with another more
capable peer." (VYGOTSKY, 1988:133)
Thus, competencies are those skills, knowledge, and attitudes through which students
mature "their intelligent behaviors at the level of the interdependence of social roles. The
zones of proximal development imply promoting the student's development from his current
state to his potential state, designing a series of activities arranged in sequenced stages of
the teaching-learning processes" (ZUBIRIA, 2004). (ZUBIRIA, 2004) The experience of
today's filmmakers should shape the curricular design of film learning to come, the contents,
the exercises to be carried out, the support materials, etc., in faculties and film schools.
It seems essential to us to tune the approach of educational theorists to the experience of
university film professor and documentary filmmaker Michael Rabiger, who argues that there
are some advantages to going to film school, considering it the ideal place to:
"Learn the trade in a structured way, including theory and practice. Acquire an overview
of the entire production process. Learn how to use the technical facilities. Learn
professionalism (Be nice to people and meet them along the way). Learn how to use
mentors and how to be yourself. Experiment with functions, techniques, themes, and
craftsmanship. Put in the work before an audience. Please become familiar with all
aspects of your medium, including its history and aesthetics. Fly high on the exciting
philosophies of filmmaking and living life. Continue to grow (hard, lifelong work for all of
us)." (RABIGER cit, in GORBE, 2010:38).
The learning in film school is closely related to some dimensions of the competencies
proposed by the OECD, particularly those related to information and communication. We
have corroborated that in the times to come, we will have to fight to close the technological

41
gap so that people and their interests have an important place in the sea of messages and
contents of electronic media.
"In the communication dimension, practical skills are necessary for effective
communication; they are connected to appropriate tools, correct use of language, and
all other aspects that consider the context to achieve effective communication. In this
division, media literacy, critical thinking, and communication are skills—collaboration or
teamwork and flexibility and adaptability" (OECD, 2010).
The new film and television professionals will have to put their skills at the service of
society to allow access to public information to the majority, to show on screen the culture of
our people, to protect their interests and artistic and linguistic manifestations, etc.
The opposition between filmmaking's artistic and industrial spheres is partially rhetorical
(ANDERSON, 1990) since, in film school, students may be employed in the industry, develop
as artists, work for television production, etc. Some filmmakers may find professional
development as teachers in the field in that they will use their learning in formal educational
contexts, their filmmaking experiences, and the body of their film knowledge to navigate their
way to teaching film. The ongoing debate, however, in business and academic circles is the
relationship between theory and practice, its impact on learning, and its transferability to
work in real-world settings. Thus, we focus on how we learn and help learn film language.

2.5. The cinematographic language by competencies

John Dewey appreciated a fault in educational development by proceeding by "uncritical
leaps" (DEWEY, 1933) from one theory to another and proposed that the teacher learn to
move by his ideas and intelligence through reflective practice and the integration of his
observations into approaches so that he becomes a consumer and generator of knowledge.
A didactic intervention planning should be the stable point of reference developed from
the diagnostic evaluation results. However, as an action project, it can and should be kept
open, flexible, and adaptable. "Good planning is favored if adequate technical knowledge is
possessed for its realization... the technical elements are a means, never an end in
themselves". (PARCERISA, 2007)
By acting as a research professor:
"... he questions his teaching; he innovates, renews, tests his beliefs... he reflects on
his practice... Research questions arise from everyday experience, from the
discrepancies between what is intended and what happens in class... Hence, the

42
 unexpected results of an evaluation, the low level reached in a didactic unit, or the
student's lack of motivation are sufficient reasons to trigger their curiosity" (LATORRE,
2003).
Educational theory and practice are in constant dialogue; the relationship between
teaching and research must also be ongoing. Whitehead's creative approach, quoted in
Latorre (2003), starts from practice, from its problematizing observation as a starting point,
which then resorts to theory to support the reflection that becomes a reformulated practice,
to then contribute the elements found to enrich the theory, an equally reformulated theory.
Teacher researchers formulate new questions and observe and collect data from classroom
practice. They analyze and interpret information and draw conclusions in the light of theories
to generate new reference materials, research results, and knowledge.
Dr. Melanie Uttech considers didactic intervention as a reflection on the field, a form of
qualitative research:
"... I learned that being a teacher-researcher, where I teach and learn simultaneously,
was the best solution to answer my questions about my teaching practice. I soon
learned that to be a teacher-researcher, I only needed to learn how to systematize my
way of collecting and analyzing data to learn what my students could teach me."
(UTTECH, 2006)
We use the established course syllabus as a reference for the Film Language course.
Based on the evaluation results and annotations on the course experience, we propose a
definition of the competency "audiovisual representation" and a curricular proposal for the
course, oriented according to the competency-based approach.
There is a long list of essential skills to conceive, write, produce, and edit audiovisual
creations. But, first, to learn to tell stories, one must be interested in human behavior, work
with all the senses, and communicate well with others.
One of the most prominent competencies is learning to learn. Carnevale, Gainer, and
Meltzer (1990) state that the ability to learn, a necessity for all workers, is the key to
acquiring new knowledge and sharpening the ability to think through problems and overcome
challenges. It opens the door to all kinds of learning and facilitates the acquisition of other
skills so that students take control of their training and take it beyond school.
Concrete experiences in filmmaking education include watching films, making short
films, visiting film studios, or meeting industry professionals. Next, in the reflective
observation phase, students write reviews of movies they have seen, analyze films made by

43
their peers, and practice lighting, acting, or decorating sets and locations. They then develop
film ideas and translate them into concrete sequences with natural spaces and actors.
Eventually, in the conceptualization phase, students may read books about films and
filmmakers, watch movies and compare them with the respective film reviews, and attend
lectures by experts to aid the overall learning experience.
Art competencies must consider an axis of articulation constituted by culture, knowledge
of the history of the artistic discipline, and the development of lateral thinking and creativity.
Creativity could be defined as the ability of people to see a situation from many points of
view and use new perspectives and ideas to break preconceived patterns that inhibit learning
and problem-solving.

2.5.1. Competency "Audiovisual Representation"

The fundamental competency of audiovisual language is "audiovisual representation." It
shows what is necessary to communicate through video and film; that is to say, we consider
it the mother competency to design, produce and perform.
The complex approach proposed by Tobón has many points in common with other methods
of competencies; however, it also has several differences that give it identity, which can be
summarized in the following topics: "1) competencies are approached from the ethical life
project of individuals, to strengthen the unity and identity of each human being, and not its
fragmentation.... 3) competencies are approached in the formative processes from clear,
socialized, shared and assumed purposes in the educational institution, which provide a
"what for" that guides the learning, teaching, and evaluation activities... and 5) from the
complex approach, education is not reduced exclusively to train competencies, but aims at
forming integral persons, with a sense of life, artistic expression, spirituality" (TOBÓN,
2011:14).
This author conceives competencies as:
"Complex processes of performance with suitability in certain contexts, integrating
different knowledge (knowing how to be, knowing how to do, knowing how to know and
knowing how to live together), to perform activities and solve problems with a sense of
challenge, motivation, flexibility, creativity; with the use of scientific, artistic,
technological and technical knowledge that methodically derive from logical and
aesthetic processes". (TOBÓN, 2008: 5).

44
 According to Tobón, the following models exist for the description and standardization of
competencies:

Type of competency description model Emphasis on description

A. Standardization based on the approach  competency units
of labor-professional competency units.  Elements of competency
B. Standardization based on levels of  Proficiency levels in each competency
mastery and rubrics. and rubrics
C. Standardization based on domain  Proficiency levels in each competency
levels only only
D. Systemic-complex standardization:  Problems
problems and criteria  Competencies
 Criteria
E. Standardization based on performance  Competencies
criteria  Criteria in each competition
TABLE. Source: Tobón (2008: 9) La Formación Basada en Competencias en La Educación
Superior: El enfoque complejo.

Ugueto and Cardozo (2010: 410) rescue from Tobón, an effective model to identify,
standardize and describe competencies from a "complex systemic" approach. This model
consists of three components: problems, competencies, and criteria. We will use this model
for the description of our competency so that we can use it in the definition of the academic
profile of graduation in the degree in Film and Audiovisual Production; as a first approach
without neglecting a forthcoming review of the relevance and comprehensiveness of the
curricular design and its effectiveness in professional training. It should be noted that other
universities have adopted the approach and found it sufficiently viable in forming and
evaluating competencies by teachers.
We consider competencies in a broad sense, with the potential for lifelong development
and also in the service of the common good, collective responsibility, and the protection of
the planet. The audiovisual representation will be defined later according to Tobon's model to
establish the characteristics of professional competency that students develop in film school,
the stages of development according to levels of performance and mastery identifiable
throughout the courses of "Cinematographic Language" and, later on, in the subject of
"Directing."

2.5.2. Identification and Standardization of the competency

According to Zúñiga (2003), two concepts must be considered for standardization: element
and unit of competency. An aspect of competency describes the work results that workers

45
must achieve from individual contributions, while a unit of competency consists of the
primary function that groups the individual contributions.
In the "audiovisual representation" competency, we consider the following specific
performances: elaborate a clear, harmonious, and creative camera shot planning in the face
of a given script. Performs and assembles a video sequence in such a way that it represents
the required narrative, the characters' intentions, actions, and the course of the story.
As performance criteria for competency assessment:
 Describes every shot and every sequence of a film accurately.
 Prepares shooting documents valid for filming.
 Effectively represent two-dimensionally, in a storyboard and film template, the three-
dimensional space of a set or location.
 Identifies the axes, of look, of action, in a scene filmed or to be filmed.
 He places the camera so that the shots of both characters seem like they see each
other on screen.
 Collaborate as a team during the realization of a film exercise.
 Chooses appropriate shots according to a script's dramatic, descriptive, or expressive
intention.
 Position the camera appropriately, balancing the elements shown with those not
appearing in the frame according to what each shot should show and concerning
those before and after.
The range of application of the competency consists of different scenarios and contexts
where the performance indicated in the competency element must be achieved and
demonstrated; in the case of "audiovisual representation," we can consider the elaboration of
video fiction, both from pre-existing scripts and original ideas; in diverse production
conditions and work teams.
Regarding essential knowledge: fulfilling the performance criteria requires expertise, and
this knowledge must be identified and described clearly and concisely. It is suggested to
describe the three types of knowledge based on knowing how to know, knowing how to do,
and knowing how to be (COMELLAS, 2002). As essential knowledge of our competency, we
propose a lexicon of a cinematographic and audiovisual language, a varied audiovisual,
artistic, and popular culture. Likewise, the film student identifies a film crew's roles and
responsibilities but also knows the traditional narrative structure and its translation to the
editing of an audiovisual scene.

46
 The student presents skills of iconic representation of human figures concerning their
background, combines, alters, and changes ideas, images, and situations in a way that
results in something new, different, or interesting. They can play different roles and fulfill their
responsibilities promptly and satisfactorily. They can also create a simple story on video with
clarity, from beginning to end.
As for the attitudes of the "audiovisual representation" competency, we consider the
following to be fundamental: the student shares his ideas without self-censorship, works in a
team, collaborates in diverse groups and projects, and plays different roles with
professionalism. Finally, they are interested in applying the theory of narration in the different
cinematographies throughout history.
As possible pieces of evidence required to corroborate and evaluate the degree of
audiovisual competency of the person, we propose the elaboration of shooting documents
for a given script, the reflective production of texts about films that are of interest to them, as
well as the production of fictional sequences in a video composed of several shots,
evaluating in them both the spatial-temporal continuity and the clarity with which the
intentions of the characters, their actions and the evolution of the story are identified.
Tobón proposed the methodology of formative projects at the end of the 1990s based on
the original contributions of Kilpatrick (1918). Such method integrated competencies, the
ethical life project, and creative entrepreneurship processes from classroom research
projects with teachers of all educational levels in different countries of Ibero-America
(TOBÓN, PIMIENTA and GARCÍA FRAILE, 2010). Adicionally, Tobón considers the
possibility of elaborating training projects that replace specific formal courses in training one
or more competencies based on a particular problematizing node (TOBÓN, 2004). In the
case at hand, we consider it valuable to use the exercises of audiovisual practice in the video
as problematizing nodes, combining the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that we wish to
develop together with the students.
Some of the critical axes proposed to form competencies in training projects are
explained below, based on the competency-based evaluation guide consulted in the text
"Evaluación de las competencias en la Educación Básica" by Sergio Tobón (2010):
 To make students have clarity in the goals to be achieved and in the expected
learning. Based on previous knowledge, it is necessary to connect the new learning;
so that they carry out pertinent practices to mobilize knowledge, articulating the
competencies of the other subjects. This action seems especially relevant because it

47
 has not been made explicit in the class program previously presented in
"Cinematographic Language I."
 Ensure that students are in the process of continuous improvement per the expected
learning. For this, they must dialogue in pairs or groups, and with themselves, before,
during, and after the application activities. In this way, they will be able to recognize
their mistakes and improve; strengthen their attitudes so that they have the
necessary disposition toward the formation and application of the competencies. To
this end, we have proposed a part of the evaluation and attitudinal work which allows
us to know the degree of willingness of students to work as a team and collaborate
with their peers in the various production tasks of the course exercises. In this way,
we assess the achievements and aspects to improve and identify the levels of
mastery that students are reaching in the process. Furthermore, teachers and
students give feedback on the results of the exercises on screen, which implies a co-
evaluation, hetero-evaluation, socio-evaluation, and self-evaluation.
 Through collaborative work activities, students complement their skills, attitudes, and
knowledge; support each other mutually, facilitating better scenarios for training with
tools, equipment, materials, and bibliography that help the development of the
competencies that are the goals. The classroom environment should be warm,
comfortable, trusting, and respectful. We insist on promoting collaborative
environments and not competition, ensuring that communication between teachers
and managers, teachers, families, students, and among students is evident, cordial,
and respectful.

2.5.3. Graphical presentation of the "Audiovisual Representation" competency

Next, using Tobon's model for the graphic organization of competency, we present the
competency "audiovisual representation" as an axis for developing skills, constructing
knowledge, and acquiring attitudes towards audiovisual production (RAMOS, L. 2021).

Human development dimensions of the competency "Audiovisual Representation".

Communication in a diverse and complex society
Identification of the competition: Elements of competition:
Competency "Audiovisual representation." Specific performances that make up the
Constructs clear and congruent fictional identified competency.
messages through images planned and 1. Given a given script, elaborate a

48
 directed by them. Produces clean, precise precise, harmonious, and creative
audiovisual products with reasonable control camera shot planning.
of light, composition, and photographic 2. Performs and assembles a video
quality. sequence that depicts the required
narrative.

a. Can accurately describe each shot and Essential knowledge:

sequence of a film. Knowledge
b. Develops shooting documents valid for 1. They have a lexicon of audiovisual
filming. film language.
c. Effectively depicts two-dimensionally, on a 2. They have a varied audiovisual,
cinematic storyboard and template, the artistic, and popular culture.
three-dimensional space of a set or location. 3. They identify the roles of a film crew
d. Identify the axes, of look, of action, in a and their responsibilities.
scene filmed or to be filmed. 4. They know the traditional narrative
e. Position the camera so that the angulation structure and its translation to the
of the gazes of the two characters editing of an audiovisual scene.
correspond to each other, and on-screen, Skills
they appear to be looking at each other. 1. An iconic representation of human
f. Collaborate as a team during the figures corresponding to the
completion of a film exercise. background.
g. Chooses appropriate shots according to a 2. Combine, alter, and change ideas,
script's dramatic, descriptive, or expressive images, and situations in a way that
intent. results in something new, different,
h. Places the camera appropriately, and interesting.
balancing the elements shown with those not 3. They perform distinct roles and fulfill
appearing in the frame according to what responsibilities in a timely and
each shot should show and concerning those satisfactory manner.
before and after it. 4. They put together a simple story on
video with clarity, from beginning to
end.
Attitudes
1. They share ideas without self-
censorship.
2. Work in teams, collaborate in diverse
groups and projects and perform
different roles with professionalism.
3. He is interested in the application of
narrative theory in cinema.

Range of Application and Evidence Problems:

49
 Required: These are the problems that the person must
These are the tests necessary to judge and solve adequately by utilizing competency. For
evaluate a person's competency following example, the competency "Audiovisual
the performance criteria, the essential Representation" deals with issues related to
knowledge, and the range of application of the translation of literary ideas into a
the competency. coherent audiovisual discourse.
a. They develop shooting documents for a 1. Translating an idea or a story into
given script. audiovisuals produces confusing
b. They produce a sequence of audiovisual material in its elements and meaning.
fiction in several shots with spatiotemporal 2. The lack of foresight in production,
continuity, in which the characters' intentions, organization, and imagination results
actions, and story development is clear. in complete or satisfactory results on
screen, which are different from what
the student planned.

Chaos and uncertainty:

It describes the uncertain situations generally
associated with the performance of the
competition, which may be faced by
employing strategies.
1. The collaborative production work
necessary for developing competency
involves social or power frictions.
2. The pressure of the set or location
prevents spatial clarity in the director's
work, so the images do not
correspond, or their sequence does
not flow smoothly.
TABLE. Definition of the human development dimensions of the competency "Audiovisual
Representation." (RAMOS, L. 2021)

Practical application
Practices, theoretical work, the use of materials, and participation in exercises that provide
evidence of learning, give a new panorama of the process that develops within what we call
learning. Miguel Zabalza explains that what is exchanged in the educational process, both
the inputs (what the teacher offers and prepares) and the outputs (those products of the
student's work), must reach a balance, leading to "success." However, this is not guaranteed
(ZABALZA, 2011).

50
 The "practicum" aims at clarifying the black hole of learning and its models. To optimize
the organization of contents for effective learning, consider models as forms of
representation. Current programs apply training emphasizing applicability and experiences
outside the classroom; these appear as structural parts of the professional profile to come. In
the cinematographic area, the fundamental role that student participation has played in the
professional cinematographic projects of their school is worth mentioning.
The production of the first films by Mexican Film School CCC graduates has counted
from the beginning, with interns who play increasingly important roles in producing these
films. Integration and training are the keys to a model. The practicum is a relevant part of
the training of new film professionals. "The "models" constitute forms of retrospective
representation (reflecting in a scheme what is being done), but also a prospective frame of
reference (organizing what is to be done)." (ZABALZA, 2011)
Knowing the specialized lexicon that defines the size of what appears in the frame is
essential. Depending on the distance between the subject or object photographed and the
camera, a close-up or "extreme close-up" defines a part of the face or object occupying the
entire screen and more so that it appears fragmented. On the other hand, the close-up refers
to the framing that shows the thing or human head in its entirety. Its importance is dramatic
and reveals the performance's quality or the photographed subject's most intimate
expression.
There are various degrees of close-up depending on how tight the shot is. The
terminology varies between countries and even different companies, but in general, these
are:
"Medium shot”: shows the human figure at waist level, so we have a medium close-up if
it reaches the chest and an American shot if it reaches the knees. A general or full shot
shows the person's whole body, and a long shot goes further back. Depending on the
height of the camera, there are "sharp" angles (from above), "contrapposto" (from below),
and "Dutch" angles inclined toward the horizon. "Medium close-up” ("MCU" in camera
scripts): Halfway between a waist shot ("medium shot") and a close-up. Usually covers the
subject's head and shoulders.
"Close-up" ("CU"): A particular feature, such as someone's head, takes up the entire
frame; Extreme Close-up ("ECU" or "XCU"). The shot is so narrow that only a detail of the
subject matter, such as someone's eyes, can be seen.

51
When framing a subject, it should never appear in the center of the frame. Instead, they
should be framed according to the law of the golden section. (BORDWELL, AND
THOMPSON, 2008)
Camera movements can be on rails ("dolly in" and "out"), on anything else ("traveling"),
or simulated by changing focal length ("zoom in" and "back"). For the French theorist Marcel
Martin, camera movements can be descriptive if the camera accompanies an object or
person in motion or even if it gives life to a static figure; or dramatic if the camera, through its
planning or composition, expresses the state of mind of a character or its particular point of
view, subjective, or the relationship between two entities, united through the movement of
the camera (MARTIN, 2008).
Following Mascelli’s book we elaborated the following table:

Scene, shot and The Scene defines the place or set where the action takes place. The
sequence shot depicts a continuous, uninterrupted view. The sequence is a series
of scenes or images complete in itself.

Types of camera The objective angle shoots from a lateral point of view. The subjective
angles, in sequences are more personal ones. The camera switches places with a
subjective and character in the movie.
objective mode

Subject size, The long shot, with a long-distance view. In a Full shot, the character is
subject angle and seen from head to toe—medium shot, from the waist up. "Close up, the
camera height character's face is seen. "Insert" is the detail shot of an object. The angle
can be "downward" or "upward."

Angulation and When changing the shot in continuity, typically, the action is repeated
size change from one shot to the next, changing the perspective from which the
activity is observed; this allows the director to hide the discontinuous
details around the characters involved in the action.

Continuity of time Continuity moves only forward and chronologically, even in flashbacks. In
and space space, continuity can be "truncated" by perspective and lens.

Continuity of The axis of motion means that if a character moves on screen from left to
direction. Axis of right at the shot change, its direction must remain in the same order. The
action. Axis of look axis represents that when characters face and look at each other on
gaze screen, the subject on the left side must stay on that side in subsequent
shots and vice versa.
TABLE. "The five "C's" of cinema", by MASCELLI, J. (1990)
The non-written content of this program also corresponds to a classic bibliography,
Joseph Mascelli's "The Five C's of Cinematography" and Rafael C. Sánchez's "Manual of

52
Editing." As we can see in the table above, a definition of the theoretical elements
developing in cinematographic language fits into a simple table. In these texts on
"cinematographic language," we can perceive a normative orientation: "a film.... must
present a continuous, smooth and logical flow... it is the continuity that decides the success
or failure of the production" (MASCELLI, 1990). This concern corresponds to the purposes of
the first course of Film Language I. It seeks qualification for classical narration but does not
explore other contemporary narrative forms. It is suggested that subsequent studies in a
current audiovisual language develop montage skills, both for continuity and discontinuity, of
the flow as the clash of images and traditional exposition as well as the practical, creative,
and essayistic display of contemporary cinema. Also, the audiovisual language may explore
experimentation with the possibilities of video, streaming, the mutation of image and sound,
the multiplication of screens, interactivity, virtual shot, live cinema, etcetera.
We have started this chapter by developing the concept of competencies and their
relevance in Higher Education, continuing with artistic education by competencies; the Alfa
Tuning Project, and the competencies in the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de
Puebla; from the constructivist approach, we briefly developed the contributions for the
conformation of the competencies of artistic appreciation and expression, by Piaget,
Ausubel, Dewey, Bruner, and Vygotsky; we have elaborated a small audiovisual lexicon and
shown the foundational texts of the learning of audiovisual languages, such as those of
Mascelli and C. Sanchez.
We defined Film Language by competencies, the competency of "visual representation"
from the complex approach and its graphic representation. In this way, we have built the
framework to carry out a diagnostic evaluation of the competency corresponding to the
subject "Cinematographic Language," plan a didactic intervention and create an instructional
design proposal based on the experience of the present research.

PROGRAM BY COMPETENCIES OF THE SUBJECT

"CINEMATOGRAPHIC LANGUAGE I. "

Our Cinematographic Language program aims to acquire the knowledge and ability to
construct classically audiovisual products. Distinguish its characteristic elements and tools to
apply them in the planning, directing, and editing simple and complex film sequences.
The core problems of the academic cycle were:

53
  Recognition of the filmmaking styles of classic filmmakers, the way they position the
camera and "cut" so that students can emulate their filmmaking solutions in their
exercises.
 The two-dimensional representation of abstract, literary situations defined in a film
script, using industry tools such as storyboarding, shooting, and set templates.
 Staging, making, and editing video clips in an organization allows storytelling through
the camera.
In this respect, we are faced with the challenge of developing technical skills and facilitating
creativity as a transversal element in developing such skills. The Audiovisual Representation
competency consists of the indicators.

Indicators of development of the "Audiovisual Representation" competency

a. They describe each shot and each sequence of a film accurately.

b. They develop shooting documents valid for filming.
c. Effectively depicts two-dimensionally, on a cinematic storyboard and template, the three-
dimensional space of a set or location.
d. Identify the axes "of gaze," of action, in a scene filmed or to be filmed.
e. Position the camera so that the angulation of the gazes of the two characters correspond,
and in sequence, they appear to be looking at each other.
f. They collaborate as a team during the completion of a film exercise.
g. They choose appropriate shots according to a script's dramatic, descriptive, or expressive
intent.
h. Places the camera appropriately, balancing the elements that are shown with those that do
not appear in the frame, according to what each shot should show and concerning the shots
that come before and after it.
TABLE. Performance traits of the "audiovisual representation" competency.

Next, the formalization of the program in a competency-based format, with the

content by thematic blocks, knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be developed.

CINEMATOGRAPHIC LANGUAGE I
COMPETENCY-BASED PROGRAM

THEMATIC BLOCKS
1. To know the history, terminology, and use of audiovisual language.
2. Visual representation: translating the ideas and plans of a script or an idea into images
provided.

54
 3. Design and realization of a video scene from a given idea or script.

Block 1
 The student knows the history, terminology, and use of audiovisual language.

Knowledge They know the work of David W. Griffith and his

contributions to audiovisual representation.
Skills They shoot small sequences and design successive
shots that give the idea of spatiotemporal continuity
when assembled.
Attitudes They work as a team member responsibly and
respectfully.
Subject Teaching Assessment Optimal performance levels
Strategies and Learning
Strategies
a. History of the Analysis of film Draw a comic The actions are clear and
Language of Broken Blossoms strip with close- expose dramatic situations.
Cinema ups. The close-ups are chosen to
highlight a special moment of
the character.
b. Frame sizes. The scale of shots Photographic The photographs correspond
in the history of series. to the requested frame size,
cinema. are correctly exposed, not
dark, and not burned.
c. The shot and Visualization of Making a video Good composition, an
the static “one- scenes and static with a still interesting dramatic situation,
shot scene” long shots of camera. and a satisfactory resolution.
cinema.
TABLE. First block of the program.

Block 1 presents a historical approach to the cinematographic narration developed by

Griffith on the topic "History of the Language of Cinema." It reviews how David Wark
approached the sequences and cut in dramatic moments towards a "close up." The sessions
included a review of the film "Broken Blossoms" by the American author, which allows us to
appreciate the use of intertitles, in which the dialogues of the film appear, as well as the
author's signature. It is also emphasized that the film's narrative relies mainly on images,
unlike other types of cinema in which more weight is given to the dialogue. Such technique is
exemplified very well by the character played by Lilian Gish, who forces herself to smile by
opening the corners of her lips with her hand, providing a magnificent example of dramatic

55
resolution (the character's permanent sadness) through the gestures of the image. As a
learning strategy, we propose the creation of a comic strip or cartoon, in which, in Griffith's
way, a dramatic situation is resolved using the gestural actions of the characters and
presenting the face in close-up.
Reactions and privileged moments of expressiveness.The topic "b. Frame sizes"
considers a photographic work to illustrate and distinguish these sizes. One photo is taken in
a close-up, one in a medium close-up, one in a medium shot, one in a Knee shot, one in a
full, and one in a long shot. In parallel with the work on the nomenclature of picture angles,
a list is made of the characteristics that make a photograph "well composed." In a transversal
way, this exercise can be done in conjunction with the Photography class to integrate the
notions of the "golden zone" and care in the composition in terms of the horizon, distance
from the head to the edge of the frame, correct photographic exposure, not dark or burnt,
etc.
The theme "c. The change of plane" is developed with a video exercise called "the magic
trick." In this exercise, we plan to elaborate on two video shots so that, when they are pasted
together, the movement that starts in the first one continues in the second. The students are
asked that, although the movement seems continuous, they add an element to the second
shot that was not in the first one so that there is a surprise in the montage. In the figure in the
preceding shot, the character has an empty hand, but when he opens his fist, some stones
fall down.

Illustration 1: Exercise of
"overlap".

56
 This is a planned exercise for the topic "c. The change of shot." The "overlap" is a
concept that is very well exemplified with this exercise, which also works creatively and
playfully since it is proposed for a fun and ingenious resolution. In evaluating this exercise,
spatial skills in audiovisual representation can be verified. A prerequisite for the evidence
contained in the performance level is "Assemble a simple story on video with clarity, from
beginning to end."

Block 2
 Visual representation. Translates the ideas and plans of a script or an idea into
proportionate images.

Knowledge Relates some works of world cinematography to the

production process.
Skills Prepares the production documents of shooting,
shooting, template, and storyboard with
proportionate and coherent drawings
Attitudes Research films and directors of interest to the
students
Subject Teaching Assessment and Optimal performance level
strategies Learning
Strategies
a. The change of Video "the magic Two continuous The two shots together look
shot trick". shots with an like the same movement.
overlap in the cut. The magic trick is ingenious.
b. The Elaboration of a It accurately The storyboard effectively
Storyboard. storyboard from a represents human represents the description of
script. proportions. the plans.
c. The script. Elaborate a story You can make an The script is precise in its
with the help of idea concrete in a characters, in the place and
brainstorming. written scene. atmosphere, as well as in
the action that takes place in
it.

d. He does the It can two- The technical script is

Accomplishment technical script dimensionally valuable and coherent for
documents. for the story he represent a story. producing a small scene.
wrote.
TABLE. Second block of the program.

57
 Block 2 topics are as follows "a. The storyboard," "b. The script," "c. Tools for
filmmaking." The first of the topics are presented through the presentation of examples of
storyboards from the history of cinema, for example, the one from "The Wizard of Oz" in the
same way, drawing practices are carried out in which emphasis is made on the proportion of
the head to the frame, so that the size and position of the human bodies in each shot are
effectively represented, according to the description made in scripts and "shooting lists."
The second theme, "b. The script," a collaborative creative practice in the manner of
Gabriel García Márquez's story creation workshop, which can be consulted in "The blessed
mania of telling" and "I rent to dream" (GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, 2004). In this experience,
students participate in a brainstorming session in which they work with the brain's right
hemisphere, looking for the absence of time and creative brain frequencies. In this workshop,
the facilitator poses dramatic situations and asks the students to complete the idea by
proposing characters that could be part of that universe. Or conversely, if the coordinator
poses characters with certain characteristics for the students to suggest an exciting setting in
which to place them. For example, "We have a man who is very afraid of animals. What
could be his job?" or "There are many street foods stands in our environment. What would
be an unusual menu to offer on street corners while motorists wait for the traffic light?"; in
this way, students participate with ideas to solve hypothetical dramatic situations and choose
those story beginnings and other notions that seem most attractive to them to develop
individually.
During the work sessions of block 2 with the "Audiovisual Language I" group, ideas were
formulated, and students wrote exciting stories, which opened horizons regarding work and
creative collaboration with their classmates. The teacher's feedback tended to look for the
least logical and most risky solutions during the creation and brainstorming stage but
suggested taking care of the coherence and organicity of the stories when they were in a
phase of growth and correction during which they were reworked.

Block 3
 Design and produce a video scene from a given idea or script.

Knowledge Perform visual searches that serve as a reference

to create atmospheres and moods for a particular
scene or character.
Skills It can express an inner state through audiovisual

58
 images.
Attitudes Collaborate with others by contributing ideas
respecting others' spaces and tasks.
Subject Strategies for Assessment Optimal performance level
teaching and Learning
Strategies
a. The creation of The student Develops your Receive ideas and use them in
collective stories. writes a script. creativity. the creation of stories.
b. Pre-production Teams prepare Teamwork, We work collectively.
of exercises. the production planning, and Pre-production work is done with
of short films. projects. professionalism.
c. Production. The shooting of Teamwork, Invoice of the video. Use of
a short film in project planning materials.
teams. implementation.
TABLE. Third block of the program.

Block 3 contains three topics, "a. The creation of collective stories," "b. Pre-production of
exercises," and "c. Production of short films." In the first of these, the students take the
stories worked on in the previous block and transform them into scripts, using the industry
format, with its writing and presentation requirements as allowed by the "Celtx" software
program. At this moment, the crystallization of a good idea into something as valuable as an
audiovisual script can be felt.
The second topic, "b. Pre-production exercises," allows working with an actual script
created by the students so that it serves as an actual audiovisual pre-production practice. It
is better to learn the craft of Production with one's own stories since it adds the value of
creativity to the logistical work and increases the involvement and self-esteem of the
students as new audiovisual creators. In this topic, the participants are asked to elaborate on
a project to make a short film with the script obtained so that the participants divide the work
roles and prepare, on the one hand, realization documents and, on the other hand, the
production logistics of a short film. In this instance, the collective work, the responsible
involvement with the project, and the relationship between colleagues should be evaluated. It
was always taken care, as far as possible, that the work is seen as something that belongs
to everyone to provide the necessary counterbalance to the entrenched "author's policy" that
establishes vertical relationships among audiovisual workers and indicates that the will of a
single person should prevail over that of others.

59
 In the last topic of the block, i.e., "c. Short Film Production," students are asked to make
a short film corresponding to the project they have carried out in the last moments of the
course. Here the importance of the production experience should be considered as much or
more than the final video result of the short films. That is to say, to assume the audiovisual
language as the "audiovisual representation" competency, which has to be developed
throughout life, evaluating the aspects of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that were mobilized
during the experience and not only the final result.
At the end of the intervention, a post-test was conducted to compare the results. We also
asked for feedback on the course experiences so that the experience of teachers and
students can be assessed in its effectiveness through the application of the final test, but it
can also be contextualized through the experiences of the students.

60
 CONCLUSIONS
The results we found provide information on the viability of these methods for evaluating film
language learning. In short, it is optional to carry out multiple productions to know the state of
the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of film and audiovisual production degree students.

 The fundamental competency of learning the audiovisual language is "Audiovisual

Representation." It shows what is necessary to communicate through video and
cinema; that is to say, we consider it the mother competency to produce and perform,
as a complement to the other competency that allows decoding and critically
consuming audiovisual products.
 Creativity improves with practice, more profound knowledge, and the construction of
a broader culture. It is evident that the idea that improvisation and spontaneity are
better for creativity should be qualified. A creative idea can mature over time, be
perfected, and be replaced by a better one.
 The results could be more encouraging in the knowledge of lexicon and specialized
terminology. We consider it necessary to use professional terms daily and in practice
to achieve a more technical immersion in the language; we can probably think of an
accompaniment of the teacher(s) in the courses, as well as encouraging the
participation and observation of professional shootings, where students can closely
appreciate the atmosphere, the lexicon and the rigor that mobilize in audiovisual
production.
 The translation of an abstract story in spatial terms, that is, by translating it into
drawings that imply a position in the space of the characters and the camera, is one
of the elements of abstract thinking that is fundamental for the training of
professionals in the audiovisual industry.
 Finally, although we consider that many indicators of audiovisual competencies can
be assessed through a written test, we also believe that the verification of specific
audiovisual language skills can be better verified through the production and
projection of video practices, particularly how students place the camera in different
positions to provide a scene with spatiotemporal continuity.
In conclusion, our protocol test showed us a detailed panorama of the level of
development of the audiovisual language of first-semester students, which allowed us to
define a fundamental competency, "Audiovisual Representation," from which we were able to

61
develop an intervention strategy and the instructional design of the subject "Cinematographic
Language I," its problematizing axes, performance levels, content proposals, and practical
exercises to be developed during the course.
As a result of the didactic intervention, we found a substantial improvement in the levels
of knowledge of the lexicon and history of film, in the design and production skills of
audiovisual sequences, and in the student's ability to combine previous ideas to present
creative visual and audiovisual resolutions. Finally, we recognized the need to emphasize
cooperative attitudes, to define better the roles and functions of each member of a filming
unit to minimize friction among peers and to foster a spirit of free and fruitful work in an
atmosphere of respect and creativity, fundamental for the film school and all classrooms in
general.

62
 REFERENCES
AGIRRE, I. (2009), "Fundamentos curriculares de la educación artística", in L. Jiménez, I.
Agirre and L. Pimentel, Educación artística, cultura y ciudadanía, Madrid, Santillana,
pp. 75-87.
AGUERRONDO, I. (2009) "Complex knowledge and educational competencies". UNESCO:
Geneva.
AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS (2012) "The Arts Education Field Guide, Washington, DC,
May 2012. Design by Andee Mazzocco, Whole-Brained Design, LLC.
ANDERSON, L. (1990) "Filmmaking and acting directing competency in film school: A study
of socialization and cultural production" Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania.
AUSUBEL, D. (1983) Knowledge Acquisition and Retention: A Cognitive Perspective.
Barcelona: Paidós.
AYALA BLANCO, J. (1983) "La aventura del cine mexicano". Mexico: Grijalbo.
BERTONE, R (2008) "Acta constitutiva de la Federación de Escuelas de la Imagen y el
Sonido de América Latina". FEISAL: Mexico.
BORDWELL, D. and THOMPSON, K. (2008) "Film art: an introduction". McGraw Hill.
BRUNER, J. (1977) "The process of education". Harvard: Harvard University Press.
CARNEVALE, A. P., GAINER, L. J., & MELTZER, A. S. (1990). "Workplace Basics: The
Essential Skills Employers Want." San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
CHAVARRÍA, M. (1985) "Desarrollo y atención del niño de 7 a 12 años". Antología. San
José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia.
COLL, C., et al. (1993) "El constructivismo en el aula", ed. Grao de Servies Pedagógicas:
Barcelona; Col. Barcelona: Grao.
COMELLAS, M. (2002) "Las competencias del profesorado para la acción tutorial". Madrid:
Wolters Kluwer.
AUDIOVISUAL COUNCIL OF CATALONIA (2006) "La educación en comunicación
audiovisual: perspectivas y propuestas de actuación en Cataluña" in Quaderns del
CAC. Barcelona: CAC Number 25, May-August 2006.
COSTA, R. (1969) "Seis lecciones sobre los textos libres". Mexico D.F.: Escuela Activa
Patricio Redondo.
DESSAUCY, J. (1978) "Educación de medios masivos o Educación para la Comunicación"
Paris: UNESCO.
DEWEY, J. (1933) "How we think. A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking out
the Educative Process". D.C. Heath and Company.
DEWEY, J. (2004) "Experiencia y educación". Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.
DÍAZ BARRIGA, F. & HERNÁNDEZ ROJAS, G. (1999). Estrategias docentes para un
aprendizaje significativo. México: Mc Graw Hill

63
ESPOT, R. (2006) "The authority of the teacher. What is authority and how it is acquired".
Colección Monografías Escuela Española, Educación al día. Didactics and Pedagogy.
Madrid: Praxis-Wolters Kluwer.
EVANS, P (2007) "The teaching of film in the British education system" In Topics Section.
Comunicar Journal, Scientific Journal of Communication and Education. Number 29, v.
XV. Huelva: Grupo Comunicar. Pp 27-29.
FERNÁNDEZ VIOLANTE, M. (1988) "La docencia y el fenómeno fílmico: Memoria de los XV
años del CUEC, 1963-88" Mexico: Coordinación de Difusión Cultural de la U.N.A.M.
(Coordination of Cultural Diffusion of the U.N.A.M.).
GARCÍA, G. (2004) "La bendita manía de contar: Taller de Guión de Gabriel García
Márquez". Barcelona: Ollero y Ramos, EICTV.
GARCÍA RIERA, E. (1992) "Historia documental del cine mexicano". UdeG, CONACULTA:
Mexico.
GONZÁLEZ SERRA, D. (2000) "Una concepción integradora del aprendizaje humano", in
Revista Cubana de Psicología, v. 17, núm. 2.
GORBE, D. (2010) "Experiences of filmmakers learning the art of teaching filmmaking"
Doctoral dissertation from the department of education by the U. of Cambridge. Ann
Arbor: ProQuest
GUGLIETTA, L. (2011) "Competency-based higher education, constructivism and
information and communication technologies (ICT). An integrated vision". In IESALC
Informa, revista de Educación Superior. No. 217. August 2011. IESALC.
HANDLEY, R. (2004) "Alternative education: What does it mean, what does it look like?"
USA: Real School.
HERNÁNDEZ, G. (2009) "Paradigmas en psicología de la educación" Mexico: Paidós.
JOSKOWICZ, A. (1996) "Is cinema an art of illiterates?" In Film Studies, no. 7: Issue.
October-December, 1996.
KILPATRICK, W. (1918) "The project method". Teachers College Record 19, pp 319-334.
GMU
LATORRE, A. (2003) "Action research. Knowing and changing educational practice".
Barcelona: Grao.
LLAVEN, Y. (2009) "La carrera de cine catapultará a la ciudad más allá de ser una
localización para filmar: Naime" in La Jornada de Oriente, September 4, 2009.
MARSICK, V. and WATKINS, K. (1990) "Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace".
Croom Helm series on theory and practice of adult education in North America. USA:
Routledge.
MARTIN, M (2008) "El lenguaje del cine". Barcelona: Gedisa. Second Edition.
MARTÍNEZ SALANOVA, E. (2010) "La concepción del aprendizaje según J. Bruner".
University of Huelva.
MASCELLI, J. (1990) "Las cinco claves del cine". Buenos Aires: Sindicato de la Industria
Cinematográfica Argentina.

64
MEDINA, R. (2011) "Propuesta para criterios de evaluación basados en competencias".
Mexico: Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit.
MOREIRA, M. (1994) "Cambio conceptual : crítica a modelos actuales y una propuesta a la
luz de la teoría del aprendizaje significativo. Paper presented at the international
conference "Science and Mathematics Education for the 21st Century : Towards
Innovatory Approaches, Concepción, Chile, September 26 - October 1.
OECD (2002) "21st century skills and competencies for new millennium learners in OECD
countries" Paris: OECD.
PARCERISA, A. (2007) "Didactics in social education. Teaching and learning outside the
school". Barcelona: Grao.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (2011) "Cinéma européen à l'ère numérique" Resolution of
November 16, 2011, in Strasbourg. Unpublished, revised web version
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A7-2011-
0366
PASOLINI, P. (2006) "El cine como semiología de la realidad". Mexico: Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México, Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos .
PASTRÉ (2005) "La didactique professionnelle" Approche anthropologique du
développement chez les adultes. Paris : PUF.
PERRENOUD, D. (2004) "Ten new competencies for teaching". Biblioteca para la
actualización del maestro. Mexico: SEP.
PETERS, J. (1961) "Film Education; Press, cinema, radio and television in the world". Paris:
UNESCO .
PIAGET, J. (1964) "La construcción de lo real en el niño". Buenos Aires: Proteo.
RAMOS, L. (2021) “Dimensions of the Audiovisual Representation Competence in Film
School”. Academia Letters, Article 2736. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2736.
RIOSECO, M. and ROMERO, R. (1999) "La dimensión afectiva, como base para la
contextualización de la enseñanza de la física". In Estudios Pedagógicos. No. 25:51-
70.
ROMAN, J. (2005) "Homo politikos". LibrosenRed.
SÁNCHEZ, R. (1994) "Cinematographic montage: art of movement". Mexico: Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México.
TOBÓN, S. (2004). "Competency-based training. Pensamiento complejo, diseño curricular y
didáctica". Bogotá: Ecoe Ediciones.
TOBÓN, S. (2007). "El enfoque complejo de las competencias y el diseño curricular" in
Acción Pedagógica magazine, nº 16. January - December 2007. pp.14-19
TOBÓN, S. (2008) "Principales estrategias didácticas para formar competencias". Bogotá:
Cife.
TOBÓN, S,. PIMIENTA, J. and GARCÍA FRAILE, J. (2010) "Secuencias didácticas:
Aprendizaje y evaluación de competencias". Pearson.

65
 TOBÓN, S. (2011) "Evaluación de las Competencias en la Educación Básica". Mexico:
Editorial Santillana.
TUNING (2007) "Reflections and perspectives of Higher Education in Latin America". Final
Report Latin America 2004-2007. Spain: University of Deusto, University of Groningen.
UGUETO, M. and CARDOZO, N. (2010) "Competencias individuales y el currículo
universitario ante el reto del desarrollo endógeno" in Visión Gerencial, Year 009, No 2.
UNAOC (2010) "Media Education and Literacy". New York: UNAOC-UNITED NATIONS.
UNESCO (2009) "Complex Knowledge and Educational Competencies". UNESCO.
UNESCO (2010) "Final Report on the Second World Conference on Arts Education" Second
report by Professor Larry O'Farrell. Seoul: UNESCO.
UPAEP (web) "Licenciatura en cine y producción audiovisual". Downloadable brochure at
http://www.upaep.mx/images/0204_Admisiones/Planes/CineyProduccionAudiovisual.p
df
UTTECH, M. (2006) "What is action research and what is a teacher researcher?" Revista de
Educación,Number 8. University of Huelva.
VYGOTSKY, L. (1988) "El desarrollo de los procesos psicológicos superiores". Mexico:
Grijalbo.
WENDERS, W. cit. in BORYS, P. (2011) "Report on European cinema in the digital age".
Committee on Culture and Education. Brussels: European Parliament.
WOLF, S. (2009) "Cine argentino, Estéticas de la producción". Buenos Aires: Bafici.
ZABALZA, M. (2011) "El Practicum en la formación universitaria: estado de la cuestión"
Revista de Educación, 354. January-April 2011, pp. 21-43.
ZUBIRIA, H. (2004) "El constructivismo en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en el
siglo XXI". Mexico: Plaza y Janés.
ZÚÑIGA, L. (2003). "Metodología para la elaboración de normas de competencia laboral".
Bogotá: SENA.

66

View publication stats