This teaching guide complements Reading Films and explores the social and media context of film texts. It introduces students to the concept of representation in film and its relationship to genre, making connections between film and literature. It also enables students to analyse and evaluate media texts in social and historical contexts. Focusing on case studies of The Crucible, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pleasantville, Kes, The Wizard of Oz and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this guide offers a detailed exploration of how the world is represented to us through the use of metaphor and allegory in films.