Romeo and Juliet Get an "A" for Dedication

Grading Criteria for my Romeo and Juliet Unit

The unit I created for my final project combines the text of William Shakespeare's play with several film adaptations to help students understand the flexibility and scope of literature. They get to see at least three interpretations as well as create their own. Along the ride they are learning the basics of drama and performance arts from the perspective of the performer and director. This way they get to create the concepts and bring them to life. The text acts as a foundation while the film adaptations act as guides.

Criteria #1: Based on the text and films, students need to understand the basic story of Romeo and Juliet including who the characters are, what events are occuring, why the story goes from romance to tragedy, and what the basic purpose of the story is. This is shown through discussion and basic exercises.

Criteria #2: Students need to know the basics of drama and performing arts as used on the stage as well as on screen. This is based on their knowledge of terminology, how they analyze other's performances, and their own performances. Students will be expected to identify dramatic elements in the play, on screen, and when they take the stage.

Criteria #3: Students need to be able to analyze different adaptations of the play and look for similarities and differences as well as why they exisit. This will focus on the choices made by directors in casting, set, costumes, camera angles, mood, lighting, etc.

Criteria #4: Using the first three criteria as a foundation, students will then be expected to co-direct, perform, film, and edit their own scene from the play. This will be graded on knowledge and interpretation of the text, use of costumes and set, lighting, mood, camera angles, and editing. The final product will be their own film adaptation of one scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Hopefully by connecting media to the classic text of Shakespeare, students will have a more rounded experience with Romeo and Juliet that encourages comprehension and personal connection.

Below is a link to the unit which is on my wiki:
http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/CI-5472-Final-Project

romeo and juliet (1996) trailer

Romeo and Juliet

Is This Mike Even On?" Documenting the Levy Vote of 2007

An event that I would have loved to document on film was the levy vote of 2007 when over a hundred Minnesota schools had levies on the ballot which would increase property taxes to help fund public schools. Obviously my angle would be to support the levies which would provide much needed financial help to the schools, but I would have attempted to show a relatively balanenced argument that showed the views of both sides. I would have included interviews of the school superintendents and administrators, teachers, students, parents, elderly voters, and younger voters with no kids. Also, I would have really liked to include an interview with Paul Dorr who had such an impact on the Robbinsdale district by papering the area with "vote no" propaganda. These people would have been asked what they actually knew about the levies, how they would have voted, what influenced their decision, and then see if new information would have affected this decision. Part of the documentary would have inlcuded why the schools needed the money from the tax payers, information about the school's budgeting, just how much the tax payers would pay, and what effect the passing or not passing of the levy would have on schools and neighborhoods including the drop in property values due to failing schools. This would have been done through the use of charts and graphs, expert opinions, and visual shots of actual schools, neighborhoods, and homes. Obviously I would face some challenges such as making sure the information and numbers are correct and honestly reflect the situation. Also, getting people to talk about their voting choices can be difficult. Being a teacher who is very dependent on the money from such levies as these, it would be hard to be objective. Hopefully the end result of the documentary would be to get people thinking a little harder about how they vote, why they vote, and if enough information is available to the voters.

We Didn't Start the Music: Using Billy Joel to Teach Poetry

The link below will take you to my wiki which has a PowerPoint Presentation on ideas for using Billy Joel songs to teach poetry. Please understand that much of the presentation is oral, so some slides do not make sense without the speaker.

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/Popular+Music+in+the+Classroom?edit=1&new=1

Apples to Oranges, Literature to Film: Using Film to Write a Comparison/Contrast Paper

Objectives:

• To identify connections between similar stories: plot, characters, symbolism, tone, etc.



• To identify differences between similar stories: plot, characters, symbolism, tone, etc.



• To identify the hero archetype in similar stories.



• To analyze the choices made by the authors in presenting their heroes.



• To write a comparison/contrast essay using block format.

Materials Needed:

• "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst



• "The Mighty" on film (based on Freak the Mighty by W. Rodman Philbrick)



• 2 Story Synopsis Sheets



• Note-Taking Sheet



• Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet

Activites:

• Read "The Scarlet Ibis", fill out Story Synopsis Sheet which identifies the basic literary elements such as plot, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, point of view, etc., discuss the elements as a class, discuss how Doodle fits into the hero archetype, discuss how Doodle does not fit into the hero archetype



• Watch The Mighty on film, use the Note-Taking Sheet to keep track of connections and differences between Doodle in "The Scarlet Ibis" and either Kevin or Max from The Mighty, fill out Story Synopsis, discuss the literary elements of the story, discuss how Kevin and Max fit the hero archetype, discuss how they don't fit the hero archetype



• As a class discuss how James Hearst and W. Rodman Philbrick present their heroes and why they gave them certain characteristics. Discuss the similarities and differences found between the stories.



• Using the Note-Taking Sheet and the Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet, fill in a rough draft of an essay that focuses on the similarities and differences between two characters. The essay will be written in block format and focus on Doodle from "The Scarlet Ibis" and either Kevin or Max from The Mighty. Students need to support their claims with details from the story and film. These claims should include characteristics of hero archetype.



• Through individual and peer editing, revise and write a second draft of the essay.



• Do a final edit and revision of the second draft before typing a final draft using a MLA format including a works cited page.

Copies of the following materials can be found on my wiki posted below:

• Story Synopsis Sheet



• Note-Taking Sheet



• Comparison/Contrast Essay Packet

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/%22The-Scarlet-Ibis%22-and-The-Mighty-Lesson

Breaking News! A Look at Kare 11

Kare 11 News, Nov. 30, 2007, 10:00 P.M.

Here's what happened:

• The first five minutes of the news was focused on the upcoming snowstorm. This included maps, snow estimates, a report on the preparedness of the snowplows, an update of the possible roadway conditions, advice about shoveling, and an assurance that this would not be the storm of the century. There was also a clip about flying this weekend and whether stores will be low on staples (not at this point). Although is seemed at first as if they were hyping up the weather, the majority of the information was reassuring.
• Next, there was a two-minute clip about the budget deficit and how the state and Pawlenty will handle it. One thing was emphasized, no raised taxes.
• Now we move on to the speed news, thirty-second clips about the diesel prices, a murderer who used Craig's List, a fire, a man holding hostages who just wanted to talk to Sen. Clinton, and the death of Evel Knievel. The move from local to national news was seamless.
• Another winter warning sends us into the first commercial break exactly ten minutes into the news. These commercials appeal to middle-class adults for the most part with ads for cars, furniture, and anti-aging products. The commercial breaks stayed consistent at four minutes each, all including at least one car ad., furniture ad., and one farm seed ad.
• The next section of the news was some brief clips of a local soldier's suspicious death, a progress of the I-35 bridge, the new Nordstrom store coming to Minnesota, then a four minute report on the weather. It was tied up with ten second clips focusing on good works such as Toy's of Tots.
• At 10:20 was the second commercial break following the same format as before.
• The last section of the news was focused on sports: hockey, football, volleyball, and basketball. The reporter bounced from high school sports to college sports to professional sports. The majority of the time was spent on male teams.
• At 10:28 the final commercial break occurs with the same commercials as before: cars, furniture, farm seed, and now insurance too.
• The lottery numbers pull us back into the news for a last plug for the Salvation Army and a weather reminder to be careful.

Here's what I noticed:

• The news lasted about 31 minutes and 12 minutes were taken by commercials, ten minutes by the weather, 2 minutes on the budget deficit, 2.5 minutes on local news, 1 minute on national news, 30 seconds on charity, and four minutes on sports.
• There was only one female anchor and she was only shown for about 2 minutes.
• The majority of the news was upbeat and positive.
• The weather was over-covered, but it was not played up as being an "emergency" situation.

A Hummer of An Advertisement

Click the link below to see a mock ad created during class.
http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/A-Hummer-of-an-Advertisement

Here is a "bloggerized" version of the ad.

One Time When Size Doesn't Matter...

Steve is feeling very satisfied. He’s concerned about the environment, so he’s just traded in his super-sized, gas-guzzling SUV in for the new environmentally- friendly Hummer 4.


Half the Size, All the Prestige!

Why You Just Can't "Swear" Off Beer Ads

This commercial, "Swear Jar" by Budweiser, has managed to hook the audience with several different tricks. Instead of showing gaggles of pretty people partying and showing off their six-pack abs (hard to get when actually drinking a six-pack of beer on a regular basis), this commercial shows the typical office full of bored drones navigating the endless cubicles and trapped in pointless meetings. This takes out the "I wish that were me" factor and replaces it with "That's me!" Here are finally fellow beer drinkers that we can relate to. They don't spend the day beside a pool or on the beach; they have to work for a living too. Next, there are the everyday scenarios that one encounters at the work place: the chat with coworker one cube over, the annoyingly perky receptionist, the dreary meeting, the overenthusiastic boss, and the possessed copy machine (my personal favorite). We see the humor in the reality of the situation. Finally, we have the swearing, cleverly bleeped, that reflects exactly what we were thinking at least twenty times that day. Here is a commercial about US! Now if you're not an office drone, there is a likely chance that you watch the hit NBC show, The Office. The work place has never been so funny. Budweiser picks up on the fad of parodying the cookie-cutter and runs with it.

PS: If you don't watch The Office, I suggest you start. It will make you appreciate your own job...hopefully.

Swear Jar

PowerPointing a Finger at Epics

The link below will take you to my Wiki. Click on the PowerPoint Presentation link to learn a little about the Epic Genre and film.

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/The+Epic+Genre:+PowerPoint+Presentation

To My Wiki and Beyond

Below is a quick link to my wiki. It contains related works to my blog entries as well as links to other helpful resources.

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/

Spielberg, I Am Not

Venturing into the world of movie making, even just with photo clips, has been a challenge. Between the technology and nitpicking, I was stumped for a long time. I have managed to put together a small production which lacks many of the creative elements a movie usually depends on, music, motion, plot, but I celebrate the little successes. The link to this movie is at the bottom of the post; feel free to revel in my directorial debut.

What my movie does have:

• Personal images


• Transitions


• Opening Title and Lead-in


• Title with images


• Minor video effects (fade in or out)


• Closing Credits

What my movie lacks:

• Universal appeal


• Plot


• Music

Hopefully I will have more chances to explore the tools of Windows Movie Maker and improve my skills. Maybe someday I'll even have a film with moving images! You never know.

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/My+Video

Mighty Immaturity

Group: 29 Ninth Grade Students, male and female

Film: The Mighty

Watching my students view anything, from the morning announcements to clips from Romeo and Juliet, can be an education. The responses will always range from "That was stupid" to "I loved it!" I was able to observe my 9th grade class watch The Mighty over a three-day span while studying unlikely heroes. When the film had run its course, and the lights had gone back on, it was time for discussion. Here is where the real fun begins. It never fails that some kids will simply state, "I didn't get it." They usually were not trying "to get it," but that is their perrogative. On the other hand, I have the female student who cannot stop crying because the young, crippled Kevin died. She can only sob, "It was so sad! Why'd he have to die? Where's the happy ending?" She obviously missed the part when Max discovered his true intelligence as a result of Kevin's short interaction in his life. The middle of the road responses are usually the safest, if also the most generic. "It was inspirational," "It touched my heart but was unrealistic," and "I liked it." Altogether, uninspirational.

What I have found when using film in the classroom is that students cannot connect the importance of a film to a lesson. They see the 120 minutes as relaxation time; they zone out. Applying the central theme to the short story we had previously read, "The Scarlet Ibis," never occurs to them. Luckily, they were given a worksheet to fill out during the movie which asked for similarities and differences between the short story hero, Doodle, and one of the heroes of The Mighty, Kevin or Max. Without this unsubtle prompting I'm not sure they would have retained any valuable information. When it came to writing a comparison/contrast essay about Doodle and their chosen hero, it was like pulling fingernails. They couldn't remember all that Kevin did or how Max reacted to certain situations. I heard "I don't remember" about a million times over two days.

Now why do students do this? Is it a lack of long-term memory? Is it the brain's automatic response to shut down when confronted with a big screen? Whatever it is, the students all felt that basing an essay on a film was difficult. Using the experience for more than just visual enjoyment had not occured to them, even when specifically told ahead of time that the essay was to follow.

The chasm between media and academics is very wide still. The teacher struggles with effective integration, and it turns out the student struggles with building a mental bridge between the two. Hopefully by the time I show them Romeo and Juliet they will have made those connections. TV and film are not just for pleasure, but for learning as well.

Teenagers: Where Have the Innocent Smiles Gone?

One would think searching for pictures of teenagers on the Internet would be easy. There are so many teens out there, and they all seem to have digital cameras. The truth is that these pictures are available, but not "easy." Upon typing the phrase "teenagers" into Flickr, a photo site, I was first bombarded by teenage breasts. Girls ranging from early teens to early twenties were posing with their tops down, shirts covered in water, or skirts hiked to their waists. The next phase was the drug phase. A collection of photos showed several drug-addicted teens living on the street together. Their faces were gaunt, their clothes a little ragged, and smiles were extinct from their mouths. From this collection the pictures moved into more music oriented shots, then posed shots showing teenagers sullen, sleeping, or angry. What I didn't see on a regular basis was a teenager with a smile on his or her face. Sure, a few of the obscene shots had a girl with a seductive tilt to her lips, and there are the girls smiling at their cell phones, but a good shot of a teenager simply smiling at the camera was as rare as the Hope Diamond. I can only wonder, where have all the smiles gone? Are teenagers just that angry? Are they all depressed? Do they smile when there's no one around? I will have to continue the search for more happy teenagers. Wish me luck.

Below is a link to my collage of teenage images

http://criticaltechnicalities.pbwiki.com/Teenage-Collage

Damn the Man, Analyze the Empire: Two Critical Perspectives of Empire Records

A film that has been a favorite of mine since my tweens is Empire Records. It is the sort of film which young audiences enjoy watching, quoting, and possibly mimicking, but mature adults often frown and say, "I don't get it." Now that I've grown and matured, at least a little, I will take another look at the film that entered my life about twelve years ago.

Semiotic Analysis:

The film Empire Records is full of symbols which relate directly to the culture is was made during. There is a slight "MTV" feel to both its setting and editing. Several images with float in and out of screen as the acting continues in the foreground. In the ten minute clip I have posted, there are several symbols that pop up for a second or two or longer. One symbol is the black and white dog with its head cocked to the side. This is very similar to the dog on the HMV music label (His Master's Voice). This ties into the central theme of the movie; music is a necessary part of life. Also edited into the film is a short montage of images that is very reminiscent of a music video. This montage includes a pretty woman smiling blankly and a train rushing into a tunnel. These images are set to heavy metal music and are another tie-in to the "MTV" culture which holds great appeal to the younger generation. These musical symbols reach out to the audience because the majority of people have some interest in music. The music represented in the film is a mixture of rock and metal which is directed at the younger audience.

Other symbols that pop up are the orange "Music Town" aprons , the shaved head of Deborah , and the long hair of the majority of the males. When the manager, Joe, reveals the owner's plans to turn Empire Records into a chain record store called "Music Town," he pulls out several orange aprons and tosses them at the employees. These aprons are frowned upon and eventually vandalized with black spray-painted Xs on them to show the characters dislike of commercialism and conformity. When mocking the uptight rules of "Music Town," Gina strips down to just the apron and struts around asking, "Welcome to Music Town, may I service you?" Deborah shaves her head after a failed suicide attempt to show her deep depression. She is rebelling against the female standard as well as the "happy" people around her. This change is often remarked on by the other characters and leads to an intervention of sorts. The head is also often rubbed as a sign of comfort against her depression. The long hair that is worn by almost every male character shows the large rebellion against the more clean-cut corporate world that is encroaching on Empire Records. Even Joe, a middle-aged man, wears his hair at chin-level as he fights to preserve Empire Record's individuality. The only main male character who doesn't wear his hair long is Lucas who takes on a monk-like personality during the film. The shorter hair is to give off a wiser vibe.

Feminist Analysis:

Empire Records has very stereotypical male and female characters. The men are the protective, wise, decision-making characters (for the most part), and the women are categorized as brainy and meek, slutty, and depressed and sulking. Joe, the oldest of the cast, is all about making everything right while helping out the youth under his care. Lucas, dressed in black, represents otherworldly wisdom and spouts zen bits of gibberish such as "Who knows were thoughts come from; they just appear." A.J. is the lovesick teen who must make the first move to win his lady. Mark is the wild party guy with all the jokes and physical humor. Eddie is the stereotypical stoner with straggly hair and 'dude' tossed into every line. Each male character is decidedly masculine; there is no crossing lines. The females are placed into even smaller boxes of characterization. Deborah is the rock-and-roll chick covered in tattoos, piercings, and a negative attitude. She shaves her head at the beginning and sports a wrist bandage to show her angst. Corey is the brainy but beautiful girl who plans to attend Harvard but is secretly hiding her use of speed from the world. Gina is the pretty slut who wears revealing clothing and pouts attractively at the men but is secretly worried she'll end up unloved and alone.

Now there is a reason the characters stay in their little roles, never venturing into the depths of real character development. Young audiences don't want to see a character drastically change when they already fit a mold which the viewer can see him or herself in. Each character has his or her sympathizers, teens who are also struggling with a similar issue. If the characters were to suddenly grow up... then the audience would have to imagine such a thing happening in reality. Oh no! Instead we get a comfortable layout of characters which are predictable. The puzzle pieces fit together without any of that pesky deep thinking. The youth can watch a character and say, "They are just like me!" while the adults say, "Was I ever that one-dimensional?"

In conclusion, the film does not stand up to the test of time, or should I say the test of maturity, but I can still sit back and enjoy it if I don't think too hard. Instead I grab at the one-liners hoping there will come a time when I can fit "Damn the Man" into a conversation.

Empire Records -Allan Moyle, 1995- Part 3

The Lord of the Prologue: An Analysis

Being a fan of The Lord of the Rings, I have likely watched the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring at least two dozen times. It is that welcoming sign into the film; the hints of information that let any audience member, even the newbie, know that something big is about to expand across his of her screen. But even though I could probably quote Galadriel's voiceover word for word, I have never thought to analyze this first seven minutes, to really look at what makes up one of the longest prologues in film.

LIGHTING:

The prologue is more a study of digital lighting than reality. I am fully aware that the film was digitally graded so that Peter Jackson could easily change a shot from day to night, sunny to gloomy, and vivid and bright to sepia-toned. The prologue has been given an almost sepia finish to evoke an antique film. It is like the eyes can actually see the patina of time on the images. Along with the vintage sheen, the lighting shifts greatly between the characters and objects shown. The Elves, Galadriel in particular, have a bright glow that makes them appear as heavenly beings. The Dwarves have a darker light, almost sturdy, and the men have an eerier glow which lets you know they will soon go to the dark side. The shot of Sauron actually seems to suck the light out of the shot except when the ring is shown which glows with pure, red evil. The battle scenes are fittingly gloomy, yet the Elven army retains their subtle glow even in armor. The shot with the most artisitc lighting isn't even a real shot at all but is entirely CG (computer generated). This is Gollum squatting in his deep cavern beneath the Misty Mountains. As he fondles his "precious" the light trickles through some unseen cracks in the rocky walls and backlights his skeletal frame. Suddenly, as if he knows you are watching, he turns towards the audience, and his nocturnal eyes reflect just the merely hint of green light. It will send shivers down your spine. With all these quick changes in lighting, the audience gets an idea of how truly expansive the world of Middle Earth is. The different races, the multiple locations, and the dichotomy of good and evil is all presented with just a sense of light and dark.



SHOTS AND ANGLES:
The prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring is a mixture of closeups and roller coaster panaramic shots. It begins with several closeups of the different races, each shot slowly pulling back to show more of a face or to show several faces grouped close together. The Elven shot begins on Galadriel's glowing face, then the audience gets to see two male Elves glowing behind her, each tranfixed with the rings of power upon their fingers. This pattern repeats with the dwarves and men. Once they have been introduced, the camera switches to the helicopter shot of a Middle Earth map. The audience flys over this map from region to region until settling on Mordor. Here the shots become more expansive as battle scenes are shown. Suddenly we're seeing thousands of creatures fighting upon the rocky hills edging Dagorlad. They are mere specks, ants battling to the death. To keep us involved there is the occasional closeup of Elrond or a Gondorian knight, but as a whole we see mass bloodshed (without the blood). Then Sauron appears. Whenver Sauron is on screen, the camera moves in, the opposite of what is did previously. It is as if he is so magnetic, even you can't resist him. Once he has been defeated, the camera returns to its panaramic shots, this time of mountains and picturesque streams and forests. It has been freed from Sauron's charisma and may run free. There are some establishing shots tossed in that show the audience some important places: Gollum's cave, the Andruin, and the Shire, and then the prologue comes to an end in a lovely meadow with a sigh or relief.



THE SOUNDTRACK:
The best part of the entire prologue in my opinion is the first fifteen seconds when there is no picture, just darkness. The voice of Galadriel, one of the oldest beings of Middle Earth, suddenly begins whispering some unknown language. Luckily she also translates it into English for us, but that whispering tingles along our eardrums even without comprehension. We WANT to know what she's saying, even if we know the language is beyond us. Her voice is low, mysterious, and slow. It draws out the drama until you perch at the end of you seat knowing it must be revealed soon. Then the images open up, yet the voice continues. While the next six minutes and forty-five seconds unfold in a feast of visual effects and romantic closeups, the story is continued over it all. We can hear glimpes of the battle, echoes of a yell, even the strangled gasps of Gollum, but over it all Galadriel continues to narrate. It is a great way to connect to the audience. She is speaking to you, telling you what she has seen and what she knows. She wants you to be involved: therefore, you are! I dare anyone to watch the first seven mintues of The Fellowship of the Ring and not be curious of what will happen next.

Lord Of The Rings - Opening scene

A "Tasteful" Critique of a Vlog

Upon watching a video from the vlog Minnesota Stories called "MN State Fair - Food on a Stick," I gained a new appreciation for the iron stomachs of Midwesterners. The montage of assorted food that had been deep fat -fried, sauteed, chopped up, and then skewered was both enlightening and nauseating. Although the camera work was less than stellar, the editing a bit choppy, and the sound filled with background noise, the five-plus minutes of Minnesota gourmet definitely caught my attention with its wide range of participants. This video included both adults and children, a multitude of races, and people from various walks of life. The one thing they all had in common was their willingness to smile into a camera while stuffing their faces with something on a stick. The video is aimed at the local Minnesotans who take such pride in their great "get-together." It is a chance for the state to brag a little as the viewer taps his are her foot along to the polka music and mentally checks off all the foods that he and she has also eaten. If the viewer senses a little heart-burn when the video ends, he or she will merely remember the taste of deep fat-fried Twinkies and say, "It was so worth it." For those who have not had the pleasure of such rare treats, they may be thinking about the overall low quality of the video. It is often difficult to hear the participants name their chosen item over the garbled chatter of the crowds and the enthusiastic polka in the background. The clips are brief and squeezed together without any transitions, but this at least keeps the pace moving briskly. The lighting and focus show that it was an amateur doing the filming, but it also makes it feel homey and personal. The video, one small part of a collection of videos about Minnesotans, serves its brief purpose of highlighting the Minnesota State Fair. Now please excuse me as I get a Tums.