Centre of the Universe

Antz Assignment November 24, 2006

You’ll need to complete 30 points from the following activities. All work is to be placed either on your blog or in your “My Documents” folder in a folder called “Antz Assignment”.

Character Blog
Choose ONE Character from the film . Tell the story of the film from their perspective through a number of blog posts. Include their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and some quotes from the film. You might want to set up an entirely new blog, written by your character.

(15 points)

Character Interview
Choose ONE Character from the film (not the same one from the blog, if you’re doing that activity). Script an interview with the character, including a minimum of fifteen questions and answers. Your questions should be a mix of serious and humorous but they must be relevant. Also, make sure the character can’t just answer your questions with a “yes” or “no”.
(10 points)

The Journey
Draw a map of Z’s journey throughout the film, indicating people and places he encounters along the way. These encounters often create turning points in a character’s life – that is, moments when they learn something about themselves and others. On your map, indicate and explain the key turning points encountered by the central character.
(10 points)

Character Description
Pick one of the characters from the film and write a one page description of them. What do they look like? How do they speak? What do they do? How do they behave? Make up some background for your chosen character – tell us some things that happened to them in the past.
(10 points)

Key Scene
Draw a key scene from the film, with a short description explaining what is happening
(5 points)

Antz: The Sequel
Write a two page story about what you think happened to the characters after the film ended. Make sure your story feels true to the feel of the film. Don’t, for example, have the characters abducted by (very small) aliens or all killed off horribly in a train accident/avalanche/asteroid collision/magnifying glass attack. What do you think really happened?
(15 points)

Film Review
Using the structure we’ve already studied, write a film review of “Antz”.
(10 points)

Film Poster
Design a poster promoting the Film. Be inventive (and colourful!)
(5 points)

A Friend of Z is a Friend Indeed
What sort of person do you think Z would be like to have as a friend? Imagine you were a fellow worker, trying to do your job. Write a story about spending a day in Z’s company. Alternatively, imagine having to spend a day at school with Z as one of your classmates and write a story about that.
(15 points)

Negotiated Topic
If you have another Antz-related idea, come and see me and we’ll decide how many marks it will be worth.
(5-15 points)

Friday’s Work (9C and 9D) November 23, 2006

By the end of today’s class you’ll need to finish:

1) Your podcast treatment (What is this? I hear you ask – it’s here, in case you’ve forgotten.)

2) Your persuasive speech (My what? you say – this is here.)

3) Your interview questions. There should be at least 10 of these.

4) Any other segments you want to include (skits, reports etc.)

5) You’ll need to write a blog post talking about what you’ve done for your podcast.        Have you worked well with your group? What could you do better?

Podcast Preparation November 15, 2006

Today we’ll be finishing preparations for our Podcasts so we can begin recording them next week. By the end of this lesson you’ll need the following:

1) Your podcast treatment (see here for details)

2) Your persuasive speech. Use the sheet you were given the other day (which you can find here if you’ve lost it – in which case, you need to be more organised.) Use this lesson to find some statistics or facts online that will support your argument.

3) A list of roles for members of your group. Who will present/interview etc. ?

Links:

Persuasive Strategies Sheet

Time Bandits Questions November 10, 2006

1. Kevin’s house is full of brown colours and electrical appliances. His parents only seem interested in watching game shows. His house is in an estate full of identical houses. What do you think the film is saying about ordinary life? Are we too busy thinking about everyday things to notice anything interesting? (At the end of the film, no-one seems to notice that Kevin’s parents have exploded.)
2. Do you think it’s true Kevin stands out because he has a strong imagination? He is interested in other places and times and longs to see them. What do you think “Time Bandits” is saying about having imagination?

3. The Evil One is obsessed with computers and technology. What does this tell us about technology in our society?

Post the answers on your blogs.

A Warning November 9, 2006

Be careful with fireworks.

Podcast Treatment November 9, 2006

Today we’ll be working in groups to put together a treatment for the podcast you’ll be making.

A “treatment” is a document usually used by filmmakers to plot out their film and to present to others (usually to get funding.) You will use your treatment to outline your podcast. The underlined headings will form the basis of your own treatment. The italicised writing contains helpful hints for filling in each section.

TITLE:

GROUP MEMBERS:

TOPIC/THEME: eg. Growing Up, What it Means to be Grown Up…

PURPOSE: Why are you making this podcast (Don’t just write “because my teacher made me”)? Why should anyone want to listen to it? In this section you need to “sell” your product – convince the reader that it should be made. Be sure to highlight what you are trying to persuade the audience of – what is your point of view?

SYNOPSIS: This is a short overview of what your podcast will be aboout – a summary. It should include features, the people you intend to speak to, and so on. It does need every minor detail (eg. sound effects) but should include the most important elements of the production.

SEGMENTS: This is a breakdown of the different segments of the podcast. Each section should include an approximate duration and as much detail as possible. A scripted segment, such as a play or a speech, should be fully scripted here. Sections in which you do not know what responses you will get, such as interviews and vox pops, should have approximate time intervals and a list of the questions that will be asked.

Music should also be included in these segments and effects (eg. fade in and fade out) where possible.

There MUST be at least one scripted speech in this podcast.

eg:

1) Introduction Music/Theme: “When You Were Young” by The Killers. (10 second clip, chorus)
2) Host introduces programme and first segment.

3) Interview

Interview with James Smythe on what he believes it means to be an adult in the early 21st Century.

• Opening music: Blink 182 “Dammit” – 15 second clip, chorus
• Introduction: (you will need to script what the host of this segment – the interviewer – will say
• Questions

4) Host recaps and introduces next segment

etc…

YOUR PODCAST WILL NEED:

music

interview(s)

a persuasive, scripted speech

vox pops

It can also contain other segments, such as comedy skits, as long as they are relevant to the theme.

Once your treatment is finished, each member of your group should post it on their blog.