The Upper School Library provides access to a range of streaming video collections and visual research tools to support teaching, learning, filmmaking, and creative projects.
This collection offers streaming films of staged adaptations of Shakespeare and other plays. All titles can be easily embedded in the Hub for student viewing. Please email us if you experience any issues or have questions.
Swank streaming provides access to more than 45,000 movies, documentaries, and foreign-language films for classroom instruction. Teachers can browse the full catalog, stream films, share titles with students, request additional films, and create bookmarks for specific scenes or segments.
Setting Up Your Account
- Visit the Swank K-12 Streaming portal
- Click "Create Instructor Account"
- Register your school email with the following code: C2B6491D
- Complete your user profile and click "Register"
- Click the confirmation link in your email to verify your account.
- You'll be redirected to the film library and can now use Swank!
Please bookmark the Swank portal for future access. This portal link is intended for teachers and should not be shared with students.
If you have trouble creating an account or accessing the platform, please email us.
Sharing Films with Students
- Search for your film.
- Confirm the film is available in the library.
- Films with the Watch and Share: Copy Link button are ready to use. Films with the Request button require you to submit a request for admin approval prior to utilizing the film. See the next section for how to make a request.
- Click "Share: Copy Link."
- When sharing with students, be sure to use the "Share: Copy Link" button. The link in your browser's address bar is different and will not work.
- Share the link wherever you connect with students.
Once this link has been shared with students, they can log in using their existing school credentials. If students are unable to access the film using their HW credentials, have them try this login:
- Student Username: HWSStudent
- Student Password: Student1
Requesting Additional Films
- Search for the film you want
- Click "Request"
- Fill out the request form and click "Send"
- Your title request will be sent to our admin portal for review. We will respond within 24 hours.
Using Bookmarks
Swank's built-in bookmark tool allows you to save and annotate key film segments. You can pre-select the exact scenes you want to use in class, add notes exploring how they connect to your lesson, and create a playlist of the moments most relevant to your teaching goals.
- Visit the "My Bookmarks" tab on your portal dashboard
- Click "Add Bookmark" and select the available film
- Complete bookmark editor fields and "Save"
- Once saved, you can copy the link for student distribution or select "Play" to launch the watch screen for your bookmark.
Swank Movie T.A.
Looking for a film that matches a specific standard or learning objective? Swank's new AI Teaching Assistant can suggest movies based on your chosen standard, curriculum, lesson goals, grade level, subject, and more.
ShotDeck is the world's largest fully searchable cinematic image database. It was created by filmmakers for filmmakers and includes thousands of high-quality stills from films, music videos, and commercials. Use ShotDeck to research visual styles, explore cinematography, find inspiration, and support filmmaking projects from pitch through post-production.
How to Sign Up:
- Use this link to access ShotDeck's Harvard-Westlake sign-up page
- Select "Sign up for a new account here."
- Enter your HW email address.
- Check your email and enter the verification code ShotDeck sends you.
- Enter your personal information.
- When prompted, designate your school or organization as Harvard-Westlake School.
- Complete the sign-up process.
Once you finish registering, you will have access to ShotDeck through your Harvard-Westlake account!