Safe and Sound - April 14, 2020

Welcome back to this strange kind of school!  I would ask any of you who know people in your Drama class (and are in touch with them) to ask them if they've checked the blog and have them send me an email.  It is so much easier to keep track of you when you're right there and I hope we'll all be "right there" really soon!

Here is the question of the day.  Remember I want you to think about it, but answering it is optional.  Obviously, I am interested in your answers, but if you're too busy or feel overwhelmed that's okay.  And remember, it might be a good idea to keep a diary.  Think about when you're 80 and your grandchildren say, "what was it like during the pandemic, Granny?"  You'll be able to take out your diary and explain "social distancing" and "PPE" and all of that.

What are you willing to line up for?  (I would line up to see a play and I used to line up to get my children signed up for their pre-school which was very popular.  And I lined up on Saturday morning to get into the grocery store, which I never thought I would do.  Everyone was friendly (but distant physically) and patient and it was fine.)

Warm-up:  Do the warmup, but you don't need to report back to me.  Learn this phrase -- "through good tone, all not part must serve and then shape fit speech".  That non-sensical sentence includes all the vowel sounds in the English language, including the British "aw" as in "awful" in a British accent!  After you've learned the phrase, then put different consonants with the vowel sounds.
"Too too(d )toe, taw to' tar tuh ter taa te tay ti tee".  Then end with the consonant -- "oom om oem, awm am arm uhm erm am em aym im eem".  This is a good vocal warmup.

Last week, we watched the two classic silent films -- "The Gold Rush" and "The General".  Both were set in historically significant time periods.  We are living in an historically significant time.

I want you to plan out a silent film that is set in this time period (the time of the coronavirus).  Give your film a title.

Your film should be 2 minutes or less.

You can do this one your own or work with a partner or partners, but obviously, you and your partners will have to work virtually, of course.

You must choose music to accompany your film.  It can be one song or more than one.  It should probably be instrumental music.

1.  First, you will need to "pitch" it to me.  A "pitch" is a short (three sentences of so) advertisement for your idea.  If you were pitching "Batman", you might say "a rich guy turns himself into a superhero who fights crime using all sorts of cool gadgets.  And he dresses up like a bat!"  I plan to give you feedback for your pitch, just as if I were a big Hollywood producer (but probably nicer).

2.  The next step is to figure out the plot of the film.  What will happen?  Who are the characters?  Give them names.  Make sure we have a sense of where it is.  Try to follow that old friend, the plot line.

3.  Next, plan the film in detail.  You can write a detailed description of exactly what happens (for example:  Music (theme from "Psycho") playing as Dean enters a coffee shop.  It is sunny outside the window, but Dean is wearing a parka.  The other patrons, dressed in spring clothes, ignore him.  Silla is working behind the counter, wiping it with a rag.  She waves and smiles.  A card with her dialogue says, "Hey, Dean.  You don't look too good", etc.)   Or you can storyboard it.  There are lots of free sites to show you how to storyboard something.

Here's an example of mine:

I hope that gives you an idea.  Storyboarding is a great way of organizing yourself.  If you look at https://www.storyboardthat.com or studiobinder.com or https://www.template.net/business/storyboard-templates/free-storyboard-template/, you'll get lots of information.  (You should have a block or a cell for every 5 seconds or so or whenever your shot changes a lot.)

We might have to leave it here at this point, because film-making is a collective process, but at least you'll have figured out your first film (if it is your first).  Maybe, once we get back to class, we can film them!  Or maybe you can submit it to the WAG Film Festival.

Timeline:
Pitch due:   April 17
Plot outline: April 24
Detailed rendering (written or storyboarded):  May 1

Grade 8's:  As you can see on the school website, we have discussed the date at which we will switch from Drama to Art and the elective teachers and the administration agreed that it would be best to remain with your same teacher until the end of the month at least.  But this project will demand some visual artistry from you, so I hope you won't be too sad if you were thinking you'd be doing art on Tuesday.