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Lesson 2

We will read an excerpt from The Power of Film by Howard Suber about characters’ aptitudes and attributes, then brainstorm about the aptitudes and attributes of the main characters we might develop in our own original movies.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I clearly organize and communicate my ideas about how characters shape the story of a movie?

  • Can I begin to bring my characters to life by conceptualizing their internal and external qualities?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “Attributes and Aptitudes,” excerpt from The Power of Film, Howard Suber, Michael Wiese Productions, 2006
  • Digital Access
    • “Internal vs. External Features” from “Pixar in a Box: The Art of Storytelling,” Pixar Animation Studios, Khan Academy, 2017
  • Multimedia
    • Blackfish, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, Magnolia Pictures, 2013
    • Excerpts from Hidden Figures, Theodore Melfi, Fox 2000 Pictures, 2016
    • Excerpts from Rushmore, Wes Anderson, Buena Vista Pictures, 1998
    • Excerpts from The Hate U Give, George Tillman, Jr., Fox 2000 Pictures, 2018

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss

We will read about characters’ attributes, the characteristics they are born with and can’t change, and their aptitudes, which are similarly difficult to change.

Read and annotate "Attributes and Aptitudes" from The Power of Film by Howard Suber.

Discuss with a partner what Suber means when he talks about attributes and aptitudes.

List three movie characters who interest both of you. Make a list of the attributes and aptitudes of each character.

Share examples from your list with the class, and then discuss the following claim about characterization that ends Suber’s excerpt:

Memorable characters are those that go beyond their attributes and aptitudes - they are defined, not by what they are, but by what they do.

Discuss what you think Suber is saying about characters in movies, and the implications for you as you develop character ideas for your original movie.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will analyze the structure of a sentence from “Attributes And Aptitudes” to determine how understanding the sentence deepens our understanding of the author’s ideas about movie characters.

Step 1

Use the Working with Mentor Sentences Tool to work through the following mentor sentence from "Attributes and Aptitudes":

The way we walk, talk, eat, and go about the ordinary routines of life—not to mention the extraordinary ones that are the stuff of drama—are attributes we seldom consciously developed.

Read the sentence aloud. Unpack any unfamiliar vocabulary using your vocabulary strategies. Then, determine what the sentence is saying, and paraphrase the sentence to convey its meaning based on your initial understanding.

Step 2

Deconstruct the whole into parts. Split the sentence up into parts as directed by your teacher; sometimes your teacher will give you the parts, and sometimes you will have to split the sentence on your own. Complete the following for each part:

  • Determine the parts of speech and function.

  • Note other observations about the part, such as examples of effective diction or changes in verb tense or point of view.

Step 3

Follow along as your teacher reviews the relevant grammatical terms and concepts of specific phrases and clauses, punctuation, syntax, mood, and tone.

Step 4

Analyze the concepts. Review, discuss, and revise your deconstruction notes. Then, respond to the following questions:

  1. Which parts make up the main clause? The main clause is the main subject and predicate that expresses the central idea of the sentence. Write down the sentence, underlining the main clause.

  2. How do the other parts of the sentence (e.g., phrases, clauses, and modifiers) enhance the main clause?

  3. How could you restructure this sentence so that it relays the same message to the reader? What is the impact of the different structures on your understanding?

  4. What revisions need to be made to your initial paraphrasing now that you have increased your understanding of the sentence?

Step 5

Analyze mood, tone, and meaning. Discuss the following questions:

  1. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How is this mood created?

  2. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How is that tone conveyed?

  3. What does this sentence contribute to the author’s ideas in the text? How does it expand your understanding of the text or author?

Step 6

Use your deconstruction analysis to write your own sentence, mimicking what the author does in terms of structure, style, grammar, and punctuation. The specific content of your sentences is your choice. Be prepared to share your sentences with your peers.

Step 7

Identify another sentence from the text that you find interesting in terms of its language and sentence structure.

Copy the sentence into your Mentor Sentence Journal and explain what makes it an interesting or strong example of language use.

Activity 3: View – Read – Write

We will watch a pixar video about developing characters and their external and internal traits.

Watch the 5-minute Pixar video about characters titled "Internal vs. External Features.”

Reread the second paragraph from the character entry in the Filmmaking Glossary. With a partner, discuss the connections among the Pixar video, Howard Suber’s discussion of character attributes and aptitudes, and what the glossary says about external and internal traits.

In the Movie Planning section of your Learning Log, make notes about the characters you might develop in your own movie, and their external and internal traits.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will return to the two original movie concepts we developed in section 3 and begin to define characters for one of the concepts.

With a partner, review the Movie Concept Tools you developed in Section 3 and select the concept you now see as most interesting or promising. Explain your thinking about how to develop that movie concept to your partner, focusing on the central characters you might build the story around.

Think and talk about the external and internal traits of your possible characters, their attributes and aptitudes, how you might avoid making them into caricatures or stereotypes, and how, in Suber’s words, they might be "defined, not by what they are, but by what they do."

In the Movie Planning section of your Learning Log, add to your notes about the characters you might develop in your movie, their external and internal traits, and what they might do to define who they are.