Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Kieran Ryan, Head of Film Department at King George V School

In today’s increasingly visuals-driven world, film and media has become an essential subject for students to learn critical thinking and effective communication, but its importance is not always understood by parents, students, and schools.

To help more people understand the benefits of studying film and media, Babel Film Workshop is excited to introduce a new blog series, Teacher Spotlight, in which leading teachers of film and media share their insights from teaching the subject at top Hong Kong schools.

Film and Media at King George V School

At King George V School, Mr. Kieran Ryan has transitioned from teaching English to taking over as Head of Film Department at the school, which offers IB Film and BTEC in Creative Media, and has one of the largest film and media programs for middle and high school students in Hong Kong.

Below, Mr. Ryan shares what he likes most about teaching film and media, advice to students taking the subject, and his 5 favorite films! Mr. Ryan’s responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Interview with Mr. Ryan

Babel Film Workshop: What do KGV film and media students learn and do?

Mr. Ryan: They learn how to develop ideas, be more organized, work effectively with people, deliver projects, and what being creative looks like in the real world (all the stuff ChatGPT can’t do… yet). IB Film students spend about half their time making film, but also experience a more traditionally academic approach to film (history and theory). BTEC students are also focused on making films, but their approach is more organizational and logistical, because they tend to be students who actually want to enter creative industries.

What are the biggest benefits to students who take this subject?

It allows students to engage with contemporary and popular culture in ways that other subjects might not; it seems short-sighted not to study what is clearly the dominant cultural form of the 20th and 21st centuries, and pay some attention to where culture is now. Students also tend to get more flexibility over the subject matter and the chance to use existing knowledge to develop their work (such as by studying anime or horror). Students who may feel a little lost in other subjects get to find a space for themselves in film and media.

What is a common misconception students, parents, or teachers have about studying film and media?

There’s a tendency to think of it as a “fun” subject. Anyone who has ever made a film knows that it is engaging, engrossing, and deeply satisfying, but “fun” is not a sufficient descriptor. Even for young students who do stop motion animation, it requires a lot of planning and development work which is interesting and challenging, not only “fun.”

What’s your favorite part about teaching film and media?

This is easy; it’s when students realize they have found something they are really, really good at, when they realize that school can actually engage with things like gaming, popular music, and television, and that there are ways to build a future in those areas.

What’s your advice to students who are studying film and media in high school?

Watch absolutely everything you can. By far the biggest weakness we find in students comes from the fact that they often don’t actually watch film or television, or anything that gives them a bank of ideas to draw on. Creativity needs something to draw on, and it’s a truism to say that great filmmakers (or musicians, writers, designers, etc.) are first and foremost huge fans of the form they are working in, and are very knowledgeable about it.

Can you share a memorable piece of past student work?

The development of Film and Media at KGV can be traced to a few pieces of work that genuinely raised the bar for everyone coming after. The first of these was made by Natalie Chao, an independent filmmaker who was in the first IB Film class I taught. It was a short film called Synaesthesia and it was very typical of her work, in that it was very quiet, delicate, and personal. That was the film that enabled me to show others at KGV what students were capable of, and it was what helped persuade the school management not only to take film seriously, but introduce the subject to younger years. I’m not sure that Natalie quite understands the impact she had!

What are your 5 favorite movies?

Three Colours: Blue (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993) - Let’s start with a proper “film teacher” answer. Profoundly moving, absolutely beautiful.

Toy Story 1-3 (dir. John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, 1995-2010) - If Shakespeare were alive today, he’d be writing for Pixar. I challenge anyone not to tear up at “that moment” in Toy Story 3 (especially if you’re watching it with a child).

Unforgiven (dir. Clint Eastwood, 1992) - I’ve always had a soft spot for Westerns because I used to watch them with my dad. Like a lot of people, my favorite films often have deep personal and family memories. This one is a little bit smarter than most in the way it interrogates the Western “myth” - it manages to be postmodern and clever without being annoying. It also works as just a fantastic Western.

Reservoir Dogs (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1992) - A whole generation of film teachers have spent much of their careers teaching students about Pulp Fiction. As much as I love that film, I’ve always preferred Tarantino’s first, which is really tightly written and plotted, with the best cast ever, and a soundtrack which pretty much reinvented how music can be used in films.

The Way We Are (dir. Ann Hui, 2008) - There is so much Hong Kong film to put on this list. Wong Kar-wai (obviously), John Woo, Fruit Chan, Stephen Chow, Tsui Hark… but I’m choosing this one because I have used this one in class so many times, and it serves so well on a number of levels; to expose students to a more quiet, realist narrative style, and to help them realize that there are plenty of stories to be told in the lives of people everywhere. It doesn’t need to be horror, sci-fi, or superheroes all the time!

Thanks to Mr. Ryan for taking the time to share his insights with us! We look forward to featuring more film and media teachers in Hong Kong to offer their perspective on studying this subject.

Babel Film Workshop works with schools across Hong Kong to provide transformative experiences in film and media. Learn more about our school programs here.