The international research and education project Audiovisual Connect LAB (AC LAB), focused on improving film literacy among high school students, has reached its first major milestone. We have successfully completed the first phase of the teacher training programs, called Learning Innovation Circles, and the project days for students.
80 registered teachers and a comparable number of students in the Czech Republic. 200 teachers and 200 students in 7 other European countries. Dozens of hours of semi-structured interviews, 800 completed questionnaires, and several hundred more completed secondary materials – and the Audiovisual Connect LAB project is just getting started!
In addition to our primary activities, we are also developing follow-up programs in the Czech context that translate AC LAB’s themes into concrete practices in cinemas, schools, cultural organizations, and audiovisual production. The Czech LAB serves as a space for testing, education, consultation, and professional networking – linking European collaboration with the long-term activities of the Audiovisual Center and Kino Kavalírka. Specifically, these activities include: Audience Testing; the program for Czech cinema operators Learning at the Cinema (developed in collaboration with the Czech Association of Cinema Operators); consultations and professional development for teachers and instructors; and networking among audiovisual professionals.
At the heart of the project, however, remains our work with educators and students themselves, which we carry out through Project Days (for students) and Learning Innovation Circles (for teachers).
Project Days for Students
Using specially developed methodologies and under the guidance of our experienced team of instructors, high school students often participate in unconventional activities designed to develop their film literacy as part of experiential project days. The combination of practical and theoretical activities gives participants a chance to view film, its structure, and its ability to evoke emotions from a completely new perspective, helping them better navigate a world where they are exposed to audiovisual content almost constantly.
Project Day 1 – Seeing Things Differently (May 4)
audio tracks, and recording emotions evoked by the film on various annotation cards), the students deconstructed the film form and discovered the true power of editing, sound, and rhythm. They concluded the intensive program by writing a film review for a hypothetical alien, in which they had to completely ignore the plot and characters and describe the film solely through sounds, physical sensations, textures, and moods.
Project Day 2 – The Language of Film (May 18)
During hands-on workshops, the students experimented firsthand with how changing the order of shots can completely transform the tone of a scene, while in film analysis they explored the use of rhythm and time as psychological tools. In the afternoon session, they stepped into the role of directors and designed their own complex editing schemes for simple screenplays. The final reflection clearly showed how deeply their perspective as viewers had changed in just a few hours, along with their ability to perceive film as a carefully crafted structure, rather than merely as a passive
Learning Innovation Circles for Teachers and Lecturers
We met for the first time on May 11 with the teachers who have signed up to collaborate with us on the project over the next two years. Since then, we have been sharing ideas and best practices, testing new approaches to audiovisual education, and sparking inspiring discussions about how to incorporate film into secondary school curricula.
All of this takes place as part of the Learning Innovation Circles program, where educators participate in activities nearly identical to those students experience during Project Days. Each activity is followed by a pedagogical reflection, during which participants analyze the program from a teacher’s perspective and evaluate how it could realistically be used in the classroom or how it might be further adapted; our meetings thus serve as a platform for inspiration and feedback.
Teachers of a wide variety of humanities, science, and vocational subjects (e.g., from a healthcare school) participate in the program – by no means limited to the arts. As a result, experienced filmmakers sit side by side with complete beginners among the participants.
This event is part of Audiovisual Connect LAB (AC LAB), an international project aimed at enhancing film literacy among young people aged 15–19 and supporting the long-term development of audiences for European cinema by linking education, research, and advocacy.
Funded by the European Union. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA is responsible for the views expressed.
