Disclaimer! This was written as an e-mail to a friend who made the mistake of asking me "what should children watch?" This was my rant on one of my favourite subjects:)
When to start?
Start as late as possible. What children need in the initial years (from 0 to 7 years) are real experiences. Through real experiences, they make sense of the world and learn about themselves. (All learning has to happen from their own real experiences). So in a developmental point of view, in this stage of life, they are not looking for images of the experience. They are looking for those real experiences. Films and videos simulate an experience for them without them actually going through that experience themselves. That limits their opportunity for learning and sensory exploration in this most vital stage of brain development.
So ‘real play’ is the fundamental need in early years. Exposing children to media is our need to keep them out of our way; it is not their real developmental need. Daily morning and evening, one hour each if you can take them to a park or beach or a garden or any other open space where they can freely run around - that will be great to begin with. It will be wonderful to see how they work with their bodies in climbing the trees or jumping in the water or rolling on the sand. And when they are at home, let them dirty their hands and play with whatever is ‘real' around them. We will be amazed at their ability to play creatively when we let them loose and make them part of our normal life. They usually have no interest in toys but they love to join in mixing wheat and water when we are making rotis. They make a beautiful mess but that is a far more enriching experience than a Disney film in this age.
Children should be able to experience different materials in this age. Textures, flow, temperatures, weather conditions…how many children are encouraged by their parents to get wet in the rain? Which, incidentally, is one of the most amazing real experiences for a growing body. There is a variety of toys available in the market but all of them are made from one single material - hard plastic. By playing with these toys, the child is missing out on the experience of understanding a whole range of materials and textures from real life. Then comes the colours; toy companies like Funskool, etc., have reduced the entire colour palette to a few primary colours, leaving out an entire world of colours. Everything is either bright yellow, green, blue or red...it is criminal.
The famous experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage has said this beautifully - when a small baby crawls over a lawn of grass, she is seeing hundreds of colours in front of her, that 'wonder' lasts till we call all those colours ‘green’:) So it is very important that we let children explore the world around on their own without much of our intervention. That exploration will become the foundation for a curious adult. Early media exposure will kill that exploration.
So in short; absolutely no media till the age of 7.
How to start?
We adults, consider films and videos as entertainment (so not to be taken seriously). We believe learning is something which we do in a classroom or with textbook. But for an early year brain, there is absolutely no distinction between learning and entertainment. For them everything is ‘learning’. Everything we expose them to in their early years will have a deep impact on shaping their brain and a life long effect on their personality.
When we start showing films and media to children (preferably after the child turns 7) we can start with some simple real action short films (no cartoon/animation). Don’t choose something which they can watch passively but always choose something which demands their attention, something which demands their involvement, something that can start a conversation between the child and the parent. Through these conversations, they slowly learn to decode images and learn the language of cinema. Also through conversations, they develop the skill of understanding meaning from different perspectives. Once this foundation is built, they will never be a passive audience.
Why no animation?
There is nothing wrong with animation as a filmmaking technique; it is exciting. But the problem is that most of the popular films made in this format are designed for passive viewing. They want the child to forget everything and just be mesmerised by the visuals and sounds. This is not good news for a brain whose top developmental priority is interaction and involvement.
The dramatic structure which Disney and Pixar films use in the animation films is the same structure of a typical Hollywood film - which is emotionally manipulative. The child goes through various simulated emotions without actually going through any of those experiences. The response hormones which the body creates while watching these actions on screen do not get neutralised by the body, because there is no corresponding physical action on the child's part. So these unresolved emotions get stored in the body as toxins.This is very damaging for the body and mind of the child.
Also the pace of these popular animation films is a problem. In an average hundred minute film, there are about 2000 to 3000 cuts. This means the child is bombarded with many images, actions, movements, angles and magnifications in a short span of time. Once the child gets used to this pace, the ordinary, everyday life starts looking too boring and a moment of silence becomes unbearable.
Then there is a whole market attached to these films. Through the films, these big studios make children fall in love with the main few characters and then these characters become merchandise. And slowly, the young pure minds of the children are trapped in the world of these few popular characters without much choice. It can limit all their exploration outside of it, not just in their thinking, but everything from their water bottles to their chappals will be taken over by these creatures. It is not possible anymore to buy a good ergonomically designed water bottle for your child; the final decision will be made based on the character image on the product. We can’t anymore have a conversation with a child about what material is best for their shoes. They are only interested in the peripherals.
When we talk about it, many people ask us this question, "By not exposing your child to animation films, are you 'controlling' her life too much from her normal environment?" My answer to them is another question…."Do you know the size of the marketing department in Disney?" Hundreds of people are working there to control our child’s taste. So if we don’t control our child's environment, they will:)" I believe we have better interest in our child's future than a Disney studio marketing department.
Our journey so far:
Having said that, implementing these thoughts are a huge struggle. It is not easy, it takes a lot of patience and hard work to find the films, access best copies and then present it to the child in a proper setting.
Sharing our journey here, just as an idea - maybe these are not the best, but this is what we could do in that point in time. You may find better options if you do your own research.
The first moving film which Maya saw was A Chairy Tale, a short film by Norman McLaren. We have seen this little film many times together. We had interesting conversations around this simple film. We spoke about the subject, its meaning, its filmmaking technique, music, etc. That whole year we focused on seeing many short films. We have watched each film over and over again. Mainly we chose classic short films of Dutch master filmmaker - Bert Haanstra. The objective was to familiarise her with the language and grammar of film. Once the child knows the language of cinema in its fundamental elements, the child can appreciate cinema much better. The child will easily realise when it is being emotionally manipulated or there is a real emotion conveyed. Bert Haanstra’s films are the masterclass on film editing and structure. Best examples to get to know the fundamental language of cinema! His films are Zoo, Glass, Mirror of Holland etc. (Many of them are available in youtube)
Each of these films gave us the opportunity to have great conversations with Maya: Zoo about human animal relationship, Glass about art and industry. Mirror of Holland about the beauty of looking at everything upside down…literally:)
There were many more short films we found, which we kept playing for next few years. By the time she was ready to sit through longer duration of time and developed good understanding of language, we found documentaries of David Attenborough.
David Attenborough documentaries
He is a blessing to this planet. His films are the best thing that can happen to a curious child. His beautifully narrated films will give children a perspective of how we humans are a small part of the larger scheme of things. This is an important lesson every growing child should learn to build a sensitivity towards the natural world. Also these are great films to watch as a family together and learn about life, death, sex, reproduction, our roles, our responsibilities..so on.
Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Natural Curiosities, Birds, Life on Earth, Frozen Planet….there are plenty and they are easy to access.
Also there are many other simple image based documentaries which Maya loved watching, here is one such: Babies (France)Thomas Balmès
Jacques Tati films
Tati is a great gift to both children and adults; he is subtle, a master of mime and comedy. He made only a handful of films in his whole career but each film is a master work, made with elaborate sets and choreography of events. Maya loved them. We have seen some of them at least 10 times already. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, Playtime, Traffic, Parade, etc.
Then there was a natural progression to films of Keaton and Chaplin:
Buster Keaton
The master of slapstick comedy. Sourcing good quality prints is tough. But we have managed. The best films are: The Goat, Sherlock Jr., The General, Steamboat Bill Jr., The Cameraman…so on.
Charle Chaplin
The universal problem with Chaplin films is that everyone thinks they have seen all Chaplin films but people have rarely looked at Chaplin seriously and seen the amazing body of work he has created. He is the greatest artist cinema has ever produced. There are only seven or eight films. Maya has seen all his films many times over and we still watch it every now and then. We also have a book on his life and work. Maya keeps referring to the book and reads about each film, how it was made, etc. Chaplin is an ideal classic cinema experience a child should grow up with.
Next was our search beyond these classics and masters to find more contemporary films:
There are no good children's films.
Unfortunately yes! We have spent a lot of time and effort looking for good children's films. But it is a dead end. The so called children's films are films made by adults who think this is what children want to watch. Children’s films today can fall into two categories; one is the market oriented films which want to hijack children's imagination and treat them like zombies. And the other category is to give children a moral message through stories. Both are damaging. There is hardly any children's film which engages with children, demanding their participation as equals and respects their intelligence.
So we have stopped looking for children's films any more. Instead we have selected good adult films which are suitable for children to watch. Adult films without any heavy violence or any other content which she is not ready to watch. Iranian films came handy in this situation. Because of Iran’s heavy censorship rules, most of the Iranian adult films are clean to be watched by children. But that is not the only reason for choosing Iranian films. Iranian films' base is poetry, so they are very subtle, intelligent and they have many layers...they open up possibilities for interpretation and conversations.
Some of the adult films Maya has seen and enjoyed:
A Moment Of Innocence Mohsen Makhmalbaf, The Day I Became A Woman Marziyeh Meshkiny, Gabbeh Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Close-up Abbas Kiarostami, Where Is the Friend's Home Abbas Kiarostami, Bicycle Thieves Vittorio De Sica, 12 Angry Men Sidney Lumet, High and Low Akira Kurosawa, Drifting Clouds Aki Kaurismäki, Mahabharata Peter Brook (This a great gift for children, the only film version of Mahabharata minus the glitter).
We also watch lots of interesting documentaries together: Baraka Ron Fricke, Samsara Ron Fricke, Food Inc. Robert Kenner, Where to invade next? Michael Moore, Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore, Pina Wim Wenders, Buena Vista Social Club Wim Wenders, Ape and Super-Ape Bert Haanstra, The Salt of the Earth Wim Wenders, Lo and Behold Werner Herzog, Nanook of the North Robert J. Flaherty.
There are many more films we have explored, this is just to give you an idea of what is possible. (Please see the link at the end of this post for the full list of 100+ films)
Films of their interest.
Sometime in between all this, we get a glimpse of what the child's real interest is. Maya was very clear that Ballet is her interest. So apart from the above mentioned films, we got lots of Ballet recordings. She keeps watching them once in a while. Also we got many documentaries about various ballet companies, choreographers, costume designers, behind the scenes, rehearsals, etc.
TV or no TV?
This question pops up every now and then in these discussions. 'No' is the answer to conventional television. This means a lot to the family. If you have the habit of watching TV, you will have to give that up till the child is 20years:) We had a TV at home. After Maya was born, we gave away our TV and disconnected the cable connection. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar has some really nice documentaries and some rare adult films suitable for children but their children's section has got only the usual and avoidable content.
Last but not the least; How to watch?
It is not all about getting the best content; it is also important to look at the ritual of watching a film. This is very, very important, as important as the content. We have to create a nice environment so that films can be watched the way they are meant to be enjoyed. Show films only on your home theatre set up. In a nice evening, after a nice bath, bring the children, make them sit down and relax a bit, give them something nice to eat or drink (so no distraction of eating while watching the film) and then dim the lights, switch off your phones and show the film in a proper HD print, in total darkness, in a large screen, with best sound, right volume settings, etc. Even if it is a 10 minute short film from youtube, let's stream it through Apple TV and watch it on the proper home theatre experience with all the rituals. Also timing is important; having a dedicated movie time will help so that the viewing is not interrupted.
Many of these films mentioned above are very subtle films and they demand lot of attention from the audience on image and sound. They will fall flat if shown in an environment which doesn’t do justice to the sound or image or if there is any other distraction. So no watching films on mobiles, iPads, laptops and TV. We have to teach our children to take cinema seriously as the most engaging art form of our time and give it the respect it deserves.
As the Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov once said:
“Films are a window to the world, you should watch it at least in a window's size”.
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This is the link to see the full list of films Maya watched so far:
https://mubi.com/lists/the-films-maya-watched-so-far
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