Year 8 2004 Fantasy and Myth

Year 8 2005 – Documentaries

Unit Title: So Much to Tell You & Documentaries

Length: 10 weeks
This unit requires students to study John Marsden’s play So Much To Tell You. They will explore the themes, metalanguage of performance texts and the various ways that scripts can be interpreted. This unit then aims to introduce the students to the specific techniques employed by documentary film makers. The students will use their knowledge of the play as well as the techniques of documentary makers to produce a short excerpt from a documentary on Marina, the central character from the play So Much To Tell You.
Students will be able to recognise the persuasive techniques employed by documentary composers to elicit responses from their audiences. They will be able to use some of the metalanguage of performance and documentary texts. Students will be able to use the digital film equipment to produce short documentaries of their own.

Syllabus Outcomes and Objectives

/ Teaching and Core Learning Experiences / Resources and Content
1.1, 1.7, 1.10, 1.11
2.2, 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 2.12, 2.14, 2.15
6.8, 6.10
1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 1.11, 1.12. 1.14, 1.15, 1.16
4.1, 4.4, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.13
3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 3.8
6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, 6.11
7.2, 7.3, 7.7, 7.11, 7.12, 7.13, 7.15, 7.18 / Introduction 30 minutes
Students are told of the learning pathway that they will be following during the term of studying So Much To Tell you and Documentaries.
All students should be clear on why they will be undertaking the work in this unit.
[They will be doing work associated with the play So Much to Tell You, but this will not be the only focus of the unit of work. For although students will be delving into the characters and the events explored in the play and developing a deep understanding of how plays as a text type explore various themes, they will be using this deep knowledge of the play to produce a documentary on the characters, events or themes explored in the text. In order to do this they will also be studying how documentaries represent ideas and concepts. They will be involved in filming within the whole class context, but the major focus will be on their editing of excerpts into the first three minutes of a documentary]
Students are encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification regarding the outcomes and learning which will occur.
Part 1 Close study of text: 9 X 75 min lessons in total
This part of the unit focuses on the close study of the play So Much To Tell You by John Marsden. It is vital that students are introduced to the metalanguage of performance texts such as:
Staging
Blocking
Sequencing
Characterisation (Including motivation, subtext etc)
The following terms should be introduced but are not as important in the study of this play.
Costume
Lighting
Design
Activity 1: (2 lessons)
Read through the play together. Stop and discuss what the characters are feeling at different times of the play. At the completion of the first reading, discuss the themes and issues that arise during the play. Who do we feel closest to? Why does this occur? How could we heighten this feeling of closeness through the staging techniques above?
Activity 2: (3 lessons)
Ask the students to form groups of 3 or 4. Choose a segment of the play to perform for the class. Give them a lesson to prepare and then ask them to perform to the group in the next lesson. Film these short scenes in class. (This will provide footage for students to watch/ edit in the documentary production)
Tell them that at the completion of the performance they will have to explain their use of the techniques associated with the stage. All students in the class should then reflect in writing on the process they went through in their groups as well as their responses to the choices of the other groups in the class. {This would be a good homework task}
Activity 3: (4 lessons)
Hot seating characters. Collect video equipment. Give students a role as one of the following characters:
Marina
One of the several dorm girls (These can be characters from the play or other characters)
Marina’s father
Marina’s mother
The principal of the school
One of Marina’s teachers
A doctor from the burns unit
The school social worker
Ask the students to write a short description of how their character would feel about the events depicted in the play. What kind of person are they?
Ask each of the students to take on the persona of this character and get the other students to ask them questions about their feelings regarding the events in the play. For example someone might ask Lisa “How did you feel about Marina’s arrival?” This is called “hot seating”
Film hot seating of characters. Ask the students to consider how their character would feel about Marina being at the school. How successful has her integration been? What have their major concerns been? What is their feeling about violence in society today? Does what happened to Marina scare them? How does it reflect on the school?
Try to film the hot seating in interesting locations. Shoot hot seating from a variety of angles. This will give the students different shots. Keep the footage from both this and the previous filming activity.
Part 2
Documentaries 10 lessons
Activity 1 (1 lesson)
Assessing prior learning through group discussion and class brainstorming.
What is a documentary? What is their purpose? What techniques do documentary makers use?
The metalanguage of film should be introduced/ re-explored at this point. Terms that are vital for students’ understanding at this point are:
Shots (Close up, long shot, establishing)
Angles (High, medium, low)
Scene
Sequencing
Transitions
Orientation
Composition
Voice Over
Subtitles
Titles
This should be done in an interactive manner. Using texts such as Edible English for more comprehensive examples.
Viewing Segments of Documentaries – (2 lessons)
Himalaya Michael Palin – Episode titled North by Northwest
Watch the first two minutes and discuss “orientation”. How does the introduction orient the audience? Ask the students to identify who, what, where, when, why for the documentary based on the first two minutes. What do they expect the documentary to be about? What techniques does the documentary maker use in the first two minutes? What is the purpose of this documentary?
Private Lives of Pompeii (Docudrama) view the first 3 minutes
How does this documentary style differ from the first?
What is the purpose?
Comment on the use of close-ups, music, voice over and interview in the creation of this documentary. What effect does the use of recreations have on the audience?
Reality Bites: Blood Sweat and Cheers
Watch the first five minutes of this documentary. Trace the story of this documentary. This can be done in the form of a line graph depicting the major events that are shown.
How are titles and subtitles used to aid in the continuity between shots?
Case for the Coroner
Watch the first 5 minutes of this documentary.
How is this documentary different? Why do they use jargon? In what way do they sensationalise/ romanticise in this documentary?
Activity 2
Class discussion. Are all documentaries the same? In what ways are they different? Are they subjective or objective? Discuss the purpose of the texts and how this affects what we see.
Activity 3 (1 lesson)
Tell students they will be using the footage from class and extra-filmed scenes to create their own documentaries in pairs. They will be using the editing equipment to create the first five minutes of a documentary. They will be starting with one of the following scenarios. (The teacher may choose to allow students to pick which one they would prefer or to give them out at random)
You are making a documentary about how inclusive the school in the play is. The school is going to use this documentary as a promotional video.
You are making a documentary about Marina. This will be shown on national television and is a character piece.
You are a documentary filmmaker who is producing a documentary on adolescent girls and friendship. This will be shown to adolescent girls.
You are a documentary filmmaker who is producing a piece on burns victims being integrated into school. This documentary will be shown during a fund raising drive for the burns unit.
Once the students have their documentary briefs, give them time to work out what they would like to do. How are they going to ensure their brief is met?
Watch the pre recorded scenes together as a class. Ask students to write down as they are viewing, which footage they would use. Ask them to storyboard the shots and sequencing. They may need to do some extra filming, but they should be encouraged to complete this in their own time. (Lunch, before or after school)
Activity 8 (5 lessons)
Creating documentary. Students use the footage as well as the editing equipment to produce documentaries in pairs. Students may utilise music, graphics, subtitling, voice-overs, and additional footage. They must produce a 2-3 minute start of a documentary. (See assessment task and marking sheet following).
Activity 9 (1 lesson)
Reflection and revisiting the skills that students have learnt. Discussing the process with students. / Edible English
Video copies of the following documentaries readily available from the ABC shop
(View excerpts as indicated only)
Himalaya- Michael Palin
Private Lives of Pompeii
Reality Bites: Blood, Sweat and Cheers
Case for the Coroner
Worksheets:
Film techniques
Storyboard

Year 8 English

Assessment : Documentary task

Weight: 15%

10% Written Discussion and Evaluation of “Creating a Documentary”

5% Video and/or storyboard

Some of the footage has been inadvertently wiped from the network. Girls who find their footage has been lost in places should use their storyboard to support their ideas. You will not be penalized for lost footage. Remember to include your feelings and thoughts on this in your discussion/reflection. We want to see your thoughts clearly on paper.

Students will

Use a range of processes for responding to and composing texts.

Responds to and composes texts in different technologies.

Draws on experience, information and ideas to imaginatively and interpretively respond to and compose texts.

Uses, reflects on and assesses individual and collaborative skills for learning.

Task

In the past term you have been studying the play So Much To Tell You and documentaries. During your class time you have been involved in the planning, filming and editing process of your own documentary. You are going to discuss and evaluate this process.

What you are required to do:

Submit your finished documentary tape and/or storyboard.
Submit a 450- 800 words “written discussion” that highlights the process that you were involved in during the filming of the documentary.
Your written discussion should comment on:
What you were trying to achieve through your documentary footage
Who the intended audience of your documentary is and how the viewer should realise this.
What visual techniques (Shots/ angles/ editing) you used and what effects you were trying to achieve.
What sound techniques (voice-over, live sound, music) you used and what you were trying to achieve.
How you used the technology to create the documentary. What did you learn?
What you think you may improve on in the future if you did a filming activity and what you felt your strengths were.

Remember:

Your written discussion will be marked separately from the video/storyboard, but they complement one another. The written discussion offers a fantastic opportunity for you to discuss what the documentary might look like if you had the equipment of a professional editing suite.

Year 8 English

Documentaries 2005

Assessment Sheet:

Elementary / Developing / Achieved / Highly Developed
Uses a range of processes for responding to and composing texts /  /  /  / 
Responds to and composes texts in different technologies /  /  /  / 
Draws on experience, information and ideas to imaginatively and interpretively respond to and compose texts /  /  /  / 
Uses, reflects on and assesses individual and collaborative skills for learning. /  /  /  / 
Writes with fluency, using the correct style of writing for a discussion/ reflection. /  /  /  / 