Shadowing Practice: Your Sign to Start a Film Journal. *The Perks Of Being A Wallflower* - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey losers, welcome back to another video.
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Guess what we're doing today.
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Any guesses?
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We are film journaling!
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We are actually film journaling today.
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Whoa, crazy lit movie.
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I asked, and you guys answered.
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My little losers love you guys so much.
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I asked you guys about film recommendations because I was like, okay, in order to make a film journal I gotta watch some films and then I'm like, what films do I watch?
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So then I asked you guys on TikTok and you guys responded and you guys are all so sweet
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and I will be watching all these films.
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I didn't have enough time this week to watch a movie
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so we're doing one that I've already seen that you guys did recommend me but I have already seen
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and that is The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
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I have not film journaled in so long, you guys.
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This has been a resolution of mine since the beginning of this year and it is currently August.
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I've had this film journal since the summer of 2020.
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I started it because I just, I thought it was cool.
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I saw people making them on Pinterest and I said, ooh, I want to do that.
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All my film journal entries were heavily inspired by this YouTuber.
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I'm going to try to find the exact video that I watched of how she does her film journals.
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I set up a Google slide exactly how she did hers
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and I did like the photos and then the actual like research part of it.
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All the same as her so I'll definitely link her video right here.
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She built the foundation and then I just ran with it.
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In the beginning it was very much formatted as like printed out pictures
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and then you know the informational stuff
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and as we go on you can like slowly see the
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progression where I get a little bit more creative with it
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and I'm like okay actually I can't keep going to the library to print out these pictures
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because I don't have a printer so let me start drawing these pictures instead.
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How I go about film journaling.
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First I start off with going on Pinterest, typing up the perks of being a wallflower, and you know, pinning my interests, getting my mood board together,
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figuring out what quotes I wanna highlight, what photos I might wanna recreate and draw.
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I just go through, I look through there, it gets me inspired, figuring out the visual element of this journal entry.
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Then, we pull out the research.
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And that is when I go onto IMDb, I search up the synopsis, I summarize it, then I write my review of the film and my film techniques.
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And this is a great idea that this youtuber once again had to do
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because she also wants to be in the industry
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and I also want to be in the industry
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so I was like oh this is actually
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so smart like let's learn from this let's write down film techniques
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so that every movie that I watch not only am I absorbing it but I'm learning from it and a filmmaker standpoint.
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So, the perks of being a wallflower.
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The main character is Charlie.
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He's a shy, awkward teen, starting high school while dealing with some past trauma.
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He feels like an outsider until he's taken under the wings of two charismatic seniors, Sam and Patrick.
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Together, they navigate the ups and downs of adolescence, discovering love, friendship, and the importance of finding your place in the world.
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It's a coming-of-age story that explores mental health identity in the search for belonging.
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Now this is not stuff that I wrote in my summary
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because I like to keep it short and simple and I know
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that I don't have enough room for the things that I'm writing
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so I literally just wrote an introvert enters high school and is trying to navigate life.
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That's my shortest summary I could write of it.
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I love this film.
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I think it touches on really important topics about dealing with mental health and trauma and self-discovery.
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It's just, it's so good.
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So my short review was one of my favorite books.
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Good movie but a tad depressing.
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You know it's a good book when I've tabbed it up.
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For film techniques, I touched on the lighting, saying how the lighting in the tunnel scene was very warm and bright, conveying figuratively and literally
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that the characters are heading to the light at the end of the tunnel
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because they are infinite some quotes that i have here
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that i wrote down where you see things
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and understand you're a wallflower i didn't think anyone noticed me
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girl i'm a wallflower i think i that's why i this film
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so much is I feel I feel so understood by Charlie and then there's we are infinite
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and this is a quote that I feel
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so deeply in my bones is we accept the love we think we deserve
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can we make them know that they deserve more we can try
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This film is truly a roller coaster with its ups and downs of emotion.
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There's highs, there's lows.
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It's life, y'all.
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It's literally life.
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And once we have all that fun stuff situated, that is when we get out the papers, the pens, the paint, the glue,
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the scissors, all that jazz.
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This is when the film journaling becomes a little arts and crafts sesh.
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And I put on a podcast.
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I channel my inner artist and we literally just put pen to paper and we have fun with it.
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My goal was to recreate the snow angel scene with Charlie
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and it didn't really work out on watercolor at first
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so then I just cut him out and then glued him to the page.
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Then I rolled up little scrap papers
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and then I munch-punched them to the paper to make like the texture of the snow.
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For the informational part, I wrote on an old piece of paper
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that I had in one of my old planners and it says awareness and self-discovery.
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And then, because I don't have to go to the library no more, because I got this little cute thermal printer, I printed out a couple stills from the movie.
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While I was looking up the aesthetic pictures, I realized what does a wallflower look like?
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And I was like, oh, let me literally search this up right now.
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I searched it up on Pinterest and it wasn't much help, so then I went on Google and searched it up
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and then I saw what a wallflower looks like and I would have never known that, guys.
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So then I tried creating little water-colored wallflowers.
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It definitely wasn't my best work, but you know what?
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I set aside time for myself to be creative
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and that's what matters here is that we're getting into fun little hobbies and we're experimenting and we're just having fun.
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the whole point of this film journal is just to have fun and have a relaxing creative outlet.
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This is how she came out.
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Cute, right?
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Definitely not my best work, but creative nonetheless, we literally committed our time to actually doing this and that is what I'm proud of.
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We're going to do more trust, but I've at least accomplished one and we're getting back into it.
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The process was so peaceful.
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I had just finished doing a full self-care night, girl.
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My boyfriend took a FaceTime photo that I will insert here.
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I was feeling luxurious.
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I made myself tea.
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I put on a podcast and I was just in my element.
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Thank you guys for watching.
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I am going to be watching your guys's movie recommendations.
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So comment down below if you guys have any more.
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Literally we'll watch any of them.
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I'm going to add them to a complete list on this app
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that I have and I'm going to spin the wheel and we're going to figure out what we're going to be watching.
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So make sure you comment down those movie recommendations and I will see you guys in the next video.
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Later losers!

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills by engaging with the captivating world of film journaling. Using the example of the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you’ll learn how to express your thoughts and insights about a film, deepen your understanding of vocabulary related to movies, and enhance your ability to convey personal opinions clearly. This lesson will not only improve your speaking fluency but also enrich your vocabulary, making it easier to discuss films and other creative works.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Film journaling: The practice of recording and reflecting on films you have watched.
  • Charismatic: Having a compelling charm or appeal; often used to describe engaging characters.
  • Adolescence: The transitional stage of development between childhood and adulthood.
  • Trauma: A deeply disturbing experience that can affect a person's mental and emotional state.
  • Inspiration: The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially something creative.
  • Synopsis: A brief summary of the main points of a film or book.
  • Visual element: Aspects of a film that are presented visually, such as imagery or aesthetics.
  • Belonging: A sense of acceptance or being part of a group or community.

Practice Tips

To effectively use this film journaling lesson for your english speaking practice, consider employing shadowing techniques with the video's content. Start by listening to the transcript at a comfortable speed, focusing on how the speaker articulates thoughts about the film. Use a shadowing app or method to repeat phrases immediately after hearing them. This will help you grasp the rhythm and intonation of natural speech.

Try to mirror the speaker's emotions and expressions, as it will enhance your own speaking style and make your English sound more lively. Be mindful of places where you can pause to reflect or add your own commentary, just as the speaker does. For example, when discussing key elements like "charismatic" characters or "adolescence," stop and think about how these concepts resonate with you before voicing your response.

As you grow more comfortable, gradually increase the speed of the content you practice with. You can also record your shadow speak to evaluate your pronunciation and fluency. This method not only reinforces memory but also builds confidence in your speaking abilities. By consistently practicing with diverse topics like film journaling, you’ll develop a richer vocabulary and more expressive communication skills.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.