Lesson 1
How might we tell a story with film? We will begin to think about a movie idea we each might propose and pitch for the Culminating Task in the unit. After watching short videos from the Pixar We Are All Storytellers series, we will think about a concept for a movie that reflects the Pixar advice to write about what you know and to conceive of a movie with a “What if…” question. We will then learn about the concepts of a movie’s story spine and beats and begin to plan storylines for our movies.
Lesson Goals
Can I understand the ways that filmmakers shape their initial concepts for movies?
Can I apply my understanding of the filmmaking concepts of a story spine and beats as I begin to develop a concept for my own movie?
Texts
Core
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- “Introduction to Storytelling” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017
- “Story Spine” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017
- “What if...” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017
Materials
Tools
Question Sets
Editable Google Docs
Activity 1: Read
We will review the expectations of the Culminating Task and learn more about the opportunity to conceive and pitch our own movie ideas.
Access and review the Culminating Task Checklist, thinking about what you will be doing later in the unit: conceiving your own ideas for a movie and then writing a "pitch packet" to propose and sell your ideas to others.
Discuss what it will mean for you to become a storyteller through film, what you will need to learn, and how you can come up with a concept for your own movie.
Activity 2: View – Discuss – Write
We will view “Introduction To Storytelling” and think about what experiences from our own lives might be used in a story we could tell through film.
Watch the video "Introduction to Storytelling," thinking about this question:
How does Pixar director Pete Docter explain how to write about what you know?
As a class, briefly discuss Docter's advice and how it applies to the stories you might choose to tell through film.
What are some life experiences and perspectives you might bring to a movie?
In your Learning Log, set aside a section for movie planning. In this section, you will write down ideas and notes throughout the unit that will help you develop your movie proposal and pitch packet.
Make a list of some things from your life that might influence how you would tell a story through film.
Activity 3: View – Write – Discuss
We will view a second pixar video that suggests how good stories and films often spring from an imaginative “What If…” question.
Watch the Pixar "What if…" video, noting how this imaginative question can be used to begin conceptualizing a movie.
After watching the video, do Part A of Activity 3 on the website. You will return to your three favorite films and try reframing each of them in terms of a “What if…” statement.
With a partner, share and compare the statements you have written. See if your partner can guess which movie each statement is connected to.
Individually, in your Learning Log, brainstorm a list of “What if…” questions that might help you imagine concepts for movies you could create and pitch.
As a response to each question, write a few sentences about what might happen in your movie.
Activity 4: Discuss – Write – View
As we begin to conceive our movie concepts, we will view a film featuring pixar artists talking about a movie’s story spine and beats. Then, we will think about possible story spines for our original movies.
As a class, discuss the Filmmaking Glossary’s definition of a movie concept, in particular the statements below:
The first choice you have to make as a filmmaker is determining what your movie will be about. A concept defines what the story is and includes the world in which the story takes place and the premise the movie will develop. It is that initial spark that gets you excited about making the film.
In your Learning Log, write a few sentences about your movie’s concept based on the parameters below:
what the story might be
the world in which it might take place
the idea or premise that the movie might develop (the "What if…")
Watch the short Pixar video "Story Spine." Think about the story spines and beats for the films in your list of desert island movies, for Hidden Figures, and for the movie you watched and analyzed in Section 1.
As a class, discuss the concept of a movie’s story spine and its beats, referring to the entries in the Filmmaking Glossary.
Write down concise definitions for story spine and beat in your Vocabulary Journal.
Activity 5: Read – Write – Discuss
We will complete part c of the pixar beats activity, using the pixar model to outline a story spine for our own movies.
As a class, read the Pixar beats activity and discuss the story-spine framework used by Pixar storytellers:
Once upon a time…
Every day…
Until one day…
Because of that…
Until finally…
And ever since then…
The moral of the story is…
In your Learning Log, use this framework to brainstorm what might happen in your movie. Be as imaginative as possible as you explore various ideas.
As you work, share your story spine and beats with your partner. Note: This is a first brainstorm about what might happen in your movie. As you work toward creating and pitching your film, you will rework and revise your story spine several times.