Ice Breaker: Movie Poster of My Life
How much can we learn about you in your movie poster?
This ice-breaker activity is not just a creative and fun way for your class to get to know each other at the very beginning, it also sets the stage for a conversation about some of the potentials… and limitations of AI in IB.
Normally, I begin the year with the tried and true icebreaker, Two Truths and a Lie. Its creative, its fun, and it turns getting to know you into a game. This year I've been thinking a lot about AI and its influence and impact; not just in IB Film (although I have been thinking a lot about that) but also about how it is changing what we might conceive about what it means to be a student today, or a teacher for that matter, or an artist, or an [insert job here]… or a filmmaker.
I tested out this exercise with my class this year; it went better than planned. The students had fun with it, they laughed (good naturedly) at each other and themselves and we guessed what different elements included in the posters might mean.
However, it also created a teachable moment; students got frustrated with the results, they had trouble prompting chatgpt to get the results they wanted and they lamented the ‘fakeness’ of the assignment. This began a student led conversation on the very first day about how their personal creative voice was not represented in the AI response.
I wish I could take credit for planning that outcome.
Here I've adapted my original lesson to include questions around the utility of chatgpt if they don't come up naturally.
Lesson
Objective
Students will learn about each other through movie posters they create using an AI image creation tool. They will begin to think about the possibilities and limitations that AI might bring to the creative process.
Materials
- Any AI image creation tool*
- This Slideshow (or Create Your Own).
Steps
- Start by introducing yourself with your own movie poster and explain the prompt that you gave it. Here is mine as an example with the prompt that I used;
Prompt:
Make a film poster about my life. i'm a film teacher, i've lived in shanghai and new york and now chile. so i like to travel. i also like to find weird things and love coffee. My favorite film is Everything Everywhere all at Once, so the poster should have a similar vibe. The title of the film is "Gran Day Out"
As a part of the prompt, be sure to include a photo of yourself.
2. Create a slideshow (or click here to make a copy of the one here) and create your own slide as an example for the class on the first template. Make the slideshow editable for your class. There are 10 template slides, duplicate to the number of your class or ask the students to duplicate slides themselves.
3. Provide the class with the following directions. Since AI technology is changing so fast, be sure to find the right platform and model. For this lesson (Fall 2025), I used the free version of ChatGPT.
- Open up ChatGPT or another AI client.
- Upload an image of yourself.
- Ask the AI to create a movie poster about your life. Be creative in what you ask but include the following:
- Elements of Mise-en-Scéne* that give clues about you (props, costumes, locations).
- At least one Symbol that tells us more about about you.
- An appropriate color or combination of colors.
- Suggest a Film Genre for your poster.
- Suggest a “vibe” for your poster.
- A fun and relevant title.
- Any unusual/quirky/unique elements of your life you'd like to include.
*Use this as an opportunity to sneak a definition of Mise-en-Scène in so they're already thinking about it when you get to the course content.
4. The class may work on this task for 10-20 minutes. Add a little time just in case the platform is slow to provide results, students want to try multiple prompts, or you need to switch platforms. If students have access and are comfortable with programs like Photoshop, they might decided to spend a little time editing their idea as well.
5. Have them include their image in the slide deck you provided. They should also include their name and their favorite films / TV shows.
6. Have each student introduce themselves with their poster and their favorite film. Lead a discussion in which you ask what people see in the poster and what the elements might mean.
7. If it doesn't come up organically, think about ending with some these questions about the process.
- How did the AI capture or miss elements of your personality or interests?
- To what extent did these images represent your own creativity?
- Did you feel like the AI "understood" your request, or did it feel detached or overly generalized?
- In what ways does AI push or limit your creativity?
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