Turn Movie Magic Into Literary Analysis With ‘Anatomy of a Scene’

In this short-video series, directors narrate a single scene from their films, explaining what choices they made and how those choices shape the moment. Each “Anatomy of a Scene” gives students an accessible model for speaking and writing analytically about a moment in a text. The StepsStep 1: Watch ‘Anatomy of a Scene’ as a mentor text for analysis. I start by having students watch multiple “Anatomy of a Scene” videos to see the similarities in the format and language that directors use. The “Anatomy of a Scene” series gives students a powerful, real-world model for how experts talk about their creative decisions.