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First Time It Hits, The

Jason Budge, 2004

A young man skateboarding in an empty car park spots a girl sitting by the wall. He’s instantly smitten by her bubblegum-blowing, graffiti and edgy style. He fantasises about impressing her with a skateboard stunt. Gathering his courage, he skates towards the girl to make his dream a reality but fumbles the trick. His skateboard goes flying. The girl is knocked to the ground. Horrified, the boy runs off. The girl opens her eyes, smiling…

Clip Details

Genre: Romance

Country of Origin: UK

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Live Action, Fiction

Clip Length: 03:00

Age Group: S1-S3

Classroom Activities

  • Before screening the film, present the class with just the title. What kind of film do they think it will be? Why?
  • Play the film up to 01:25, up to the point where the boy has imagined performing a daring stunt to impress the girl. Discuss what has happened in the film so far. Take feedback to check that everyone is clear about the story to this point. Ask for predictions on what will happen in the remaining two minutes of the film.
  • Play the film to the point when both the boy and the girl are lying prostrate on the floor (01:50 minutes). Freeze frame and ask students whether they think the film will end happily or tragically.
  • Watch again. After the title has appeared (00:11 minutes), advance the film one frame at a time. Make notes of each shot that contributes to an impression of the car park. Some shots may be judged to be more evocative than others (for example, the jagged broken glass, the graffiti covered sign, the long shot of the interior).
  • Find examples of point of view (POV) shots in the film. Using still printouts or drawings, ask students to indicate whose point of view the shot shows.
  • The film moves very fast and has a lot of strangely angled shots and quick edits in it. Why might this be? Does it fit the subject matter?
  • Ask students to write phrases or sentences that describe the car park in the film. Discuss how these phrases create a sense of place in words and how the images of a film can do the same thing on a visual level. Ask the class to find examples in the film.
  • Discuss how the storytelling in the film works. Create a timeline of events in the film. Discuss cause-and-effect in narrative storytelling.
  • Count how many shots there are in the whole film. Why so many shots in such a short film?
  • Find examples of shots that represent setting/location; the boy; and the girl. Using images or drawings of the shots, annotate the images to explain what they mean in each case. Discuss how visual imagery can be used in storytelling.
  • If they were making this film, would they include any other images or shots – for instance, to establish the setting or the characters better?
  • Discuss the use of colour in the film: pink for the girl and blue for the boy. Is this just a stereotype or does it show how each character feels about the other?
  • Ask students if they have ever been besotted by someone or tried to impress them. What did it feel like? Did it work out? Is there ever a case of ‘trying too hard’?

Clip Details

Genre: Romance

Country of Origin: UK

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Live Action, Fiction

Clip Length: 03:00

Education Level: Third & Fourth Level