A workshop combining film education and bodywork techniques.
Curriculum fit
This activity can be used in schools to teach the following subjects and skills:
a) Primary Schools (students aged 11–14)
- Ethics
– recognise emotions, such as joy, fear, pride, guilt, jealousy;
– identify emotions behind moral dilemmas;
– use ethical terms to analyse the actions and emotions of characters in books, films, games, and theatre. - Visual Arts
– express emotions and ideas through art, inspired by life or other media (literature, music);
– illustrate events real and imagined, across subjects. - Health Education
– perform breathing and relaxation exercises;
– identify factors affecting health and well-being;
– know and apply stress-reduction techniques;
– select relaxation exercises based on personal needs.
b) High Schools (14+)
- Ethics
– apply emotional vocabulary to real and fictional experiences;
– use ethical discourse to interpret characters’ actions and emotions in cultural texts. - Visual Arts
– understand multimedia as a combination of text, sound, image, animation, and video;
– identify uses of multimedia (art, education, entertainment, advertising);
– create simple multimedia projects (e. g., short videos or photo series);
– explain the creative process and critically evaluate students’ own work and that of others. - Health Education
– apply effective stress-management strategies.
About the activity
Somatography: Feel the Film is a workshop combining two fields: film education and bodywork techniques.
Goals:
- show how cinema can help boost self-awareness and develop a relationship with one’s own body, which then provides more mindful film experiences;
- help participants experience how mindful presence in one’s body influences the perception of selected (short) films;
- reflect on how to put these workshop experiences into practice in educational settings;
- introduce elements of somatic techniques into (film) education to counteract the negative effects of excessive immersion in rapidly advancing technology.
What participants gain
- bodywork techniques;
- a better understanding of their own emotions;
- stimulation of creativity;
- deeper knowledge about the bodily perception of cinema.
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What educators gain
As workshop leaders:
- modern methods of bodily art education;
- learn to run cyclical sessions, e. g. within interest groups or art classes;
- foster students’ self-awareness;
- a new tool for introducing students to psychology.
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Resources
Venue requirements
- a space where participants can sit and move around comfortably (including a place to store the chairs in when standing and exercising)
Technology
- film screening equipment
Supplies
- pen and paper, markers, crayons
- comfortable clothes
Step by Step
Preparation
(6–8 hrs)
(6–8 hrs)
- Select films. Choose short, light, gentle, even comedy films. Avoid showing emotionally intense, challenging, stressful, or highly stimulating (loud, dynamic) films. Combining film viewing with heightened body awareness requires careful selection and enough time for participants to share their impressions.
Examples (see below): Giovanni and His Water Ballet (dir. Astrid Bussink) and Story (dir. Jolanta Bańkowska). - Define your workshop format and duration. Choose whether to focus on one film or compare two films, and whether to do evaluation.
- Equipment and supplies. Book a room where participants can move around freely. Provide film screening equipment and the necessary materials.
Implementation
(2.5–4 hrs)
(2.5–4 hrs)
- Warm-up: bodywork with participants (30–40 mins):
Goal: build awareness and connection with one’s own body before the film screening(s).
Activities:
a. Body awareness. Participants stand or sit comfortably. The facilitator leads a short meditation, focusing on sensations in different parts of the body, such as tension or lightness.
b. Breathwork: The facilitator instructs participants to focus on calm, deep breathing and gradually introduces conscious breathing techniques (e.g., “wave breathing”: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth).
c. Simple Movements and Stretching: Gentle stretches for the neck, shoulders, hips, and legs, adjusted to the participants’ pace, each movement linked to conscious breathing.
d. Rhythmic Movements and Grounding: Exercises to help participants feel grounded (e.g., light squats, walking in place). - Outline workshop tasks
Goal: Direct participants’ attention to their emotions and encourage spontaneous expression.
Task: Instruct students to use paper and art supplies (crayons, markers, pencils) to intuitively draw the emotions they feel while watching the film. Drawings can include spontaneous colours, shapes, lines, or more concrete images – each person expresses what they feel.
Variations:
a. Draw the shape of a body. During the screening, mark the places where you feel something and briefly describe the feeling (tension, chills, etc.)
b. Mark any changes in the intensity of the emotion, like in an ECG test. - Film screening and drawing:
Show a short film of your choice (approx. 20 mins) that deals with emotions and symbolism. Participants make intuitive drawings/doodles as they watch. - Discussing emotions, psychological analysis (40 mins):
Goal: Understand emotional mechanisms and integrate the drawing experience with bodily and psychological sensations.
Activities:
a. Sharing drawings: Participants (volunteers) present their drawings and describe the emotions they tried to express. The facilitator encourages them to share any physical sensations experienced while drawing (e.g., tension, warmth, lightness).
b. The psychology of emotions:
Recognise how emotions affect the body (e.g., anger – muscle tension, sadness – slowed movement).
Discuss how conscious experiencing and expressing emotions aids their regulation.
c. Group dialogue: Initiate a discussion, asking questions such as:
“Did any elements of the film evoke surprising emotions?”
“Did drawing help you understand your reactions?” - If you choose to work with two films, repeat the whole process with the second film. The second film may be emotionally more difficult, or elicit entirely different emotions. Compare the two experiences.
- Relaxation (15–20 mins):
Conclude the workshop with a short joint meditation or relaxation exercise aimed at integrating emotions and experiences.
Evaluation
(1–2 hrs)
(1–2 hrs)
- Group reflection: Participants can share their emotions at different stages of the workshop: before, during, and after.
- Feedback forms: Collect feedback about the workshop experience.
Make it accessible for all
Accessibility removes barriers and offers multiple ways to understand, move, hear, and feel comfortable. To ensure accessibility for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, have mobility issues, cognitive disabilities, sensory sensitivities, or are non-native speakers of the workshop language, make sure to lead the workshop in a clear and accessible manner (subtitles, sign language interpretation, pictograms) and make it inclusive throughout: visual aids, appropriate lighting, comfortable seating, assistive listening devices, easy-to-use tools, calm environments to prevent sensory overload, and trained staff. It’s important to offer clear schedules in advance, use simple language, allow extra time, and create safe, quiet spaces when needed.
The signup process and all communication (email, SMS) should also be straightforward and open to applicants with special needs.
Thoughts & Experience
“This workshop gave me the realisation that to move is to live.”
Participant of Film Camp for Educators in Zwierzyniec2024 
“It was a very interesting experience receiving the film through the body and focusing on one's emotions coming out of the body.”
Participant of Film Camp for Educators in Zwierzyniec2024
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
What organisations gain
Those working with youth:
- develop a popular educational programme based on modern methods;
- promote an interdisciplinary approach to learning, particularly the bodily perception of art.
Those working with teachers/educators/animators:
- enhance the competencies of educators;
- build expertise in modern film education;
- attract a broad audience, from teachers to individuals interested in self-discovery.
Team requirements
- individuals with experience in combining (film) education or cultural animation with bodywork techniques.
- an organisational coordinator (finances, technical aspects, promotion, and participant recruitment) if the workshop does not take place in a school setting.
Funding tips
If held at schools:
- use school funds allocated for additional activities or film clubs (subsidies or Parent-Teacher Association funds).
- incorporate the workshops into after-school classes on site.
If held in different settings:
- local government funds designated for cultural activities.
- support from art house cinemas, e.g., as part of educational activities within the Europa Cinemas network.
- grants from non-governmental organizations or local cultural centres.
Promotion tips
- send a newsletter to the organisations/educators you are cooperating with;
- highlight what participants gain from your workshop, such as getting to create their own film, a public screening (if relevant);
- recruit participants personally;
- use social media hashtags like #somatography #filminbody;
- offer incentives, such as certificates of participation or a showcase of attendee projects.
Find your audience
The workshop participants are young people aged 12+ or adults, i. e., teachers and educators. It can be a mixed-age group.
Find your potential participants:
- at school: students aged 12 or older at their extracurricular activities or film clubs
- outside of school: young people in cultural centres, film clubs in cinemas, already participating in other projects of non-governmental organizations and institutions, attending film festivals and other film-related activities; teachers or educators in training, members of film education teams in schools or interschool teams.
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