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Lesson 7

As we think further about the movie idea we might want to develop and pitch, we will think about the genre for the film and a theme we might convey. We will then consider the levels of realism, truth, and believability that we might want. Using our Understanding a Movie Tools, we will compare the level of realism in Blackfish with the movie we viewed independently.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I practice making conscious storytelling decisions as I envision creating my own movie?

  • Can I distinguish between fact and fiction, realism, and fantasy in a movie?

Texts

Core

  • Digital Access
    • “Theme” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017
  • Multimedia
    • Blackfish, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, Magnolia Pictures, 2013

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: View – Discuss

We will watch another pixar art of storytelling video, this one focused on theme and how a movie’s theme shapes its storytelling structure.

Access and watch the four-minute Pixar video "Theme."

After watching, return to the story spine you developed in the Movie Planning section of your Learning Log.

With a partner, discuss what each of you wrote for the final story spine prompt:

  • The moral of the story is…

Brainstorm other possible morals and meanings for your movie. Review the entry in the Filmmaking Glossary for themes and discuss the following questions:

  1. Why and how does a movie’s intended theme shape the way the filmmaker tells the story?

  2. How does a movie’s theme also emerge from the story as it develops?

Make or revise an entry for theme in your Vocabulary Journal.

Activity 2: Write – Discuss

In our Learning Logs, we will begin to consider what story we will tell when we create our own original movie.

Step 1

Using the Understanding a Movie Tool’s organization as a guide, brainstorm two or three possible ideas for stories you might tell through film. For each idea, make notes in your Movie Planning section of your Learning Log about the following elements, which can also be found on the Section 2 Question Set:

  1. Genre: What type of movie might it be?

  2. Level of Realism: Given the genre, might the movie be more realistic or less so? Might it be a true story, a story that rings true, or a story that requires audiences to suspend their disbelief?

  3. Concept: In general, what might the story and film be about?

  4. Theme: What might be the moral, meaning, or theme that the movie adds up to?

Think about the “Introduction to Storytelling” video you watched in Lesson 1, and director Pete Docter’s advice to write about what you know.

For each of the possible film ideas you have noted, write a response to the following questions:

  1. What from my life and experiences might I bring to this story and movie?

  2. How might I increase the truth and believability of the story by bringing in my experiences and perspective?

Step 2

Using what you have written in your Learning Log, discuss with a partner what you think your movie might be about. Share several different options. Compare your initial ideas to your partner, and talk about how your chosen genres, concepts, and themes might shape how your stories are told and your movies developed.

In future lessons, you will move beyond the question of what story you want to tell to why you want to tell that story and how you will tell it.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will meet with our teachers to review and discuss the planning and writing we have done in our Learning Logs and on our Understanding a Movie Tools.

Meet with your teacher, and look over the materials you have created so far. This is the time to ask your teacher questions, discuss your new ideas, and seek help or clarification on any aspect of your work.

Activity 4: View – Write

For homework, we will finish viewing, or review, the movies we have selected and complete our Understanding a Movie Tools.

If you have not already done so, finish viewing the movie you selected, or rewatch important parts.

For homework, complete the Summarizing the Movie and Analyzing the Movie sections of the tool. Write two strong, evidence-based claims about the movie’s overall style and message. These will be important when you write your Section Diagnostic essay, in which you will compare your movie to Blackfish.

In your Learning Log, as you think about the styles, themes, and approaches of the filmmakers of Blackfish and of the movie you viewed independently, make an organized list of comparisons in the following areas:

  • genre

  • level of realism

  • level of truth and believability

  • concept

  • storyline

  • central conflicts

  • themes

  • style (filmmaking techniques)

  • message