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24
CHAPTER
TWO
Who is the author of a film the director? the screenwriter? the actors? The screenwriter may be the person who pens the
script, but words alone do not make a movie. Surely the actors are the most recognizable names and faces associated with a
film, but the actors do not author the film. The director is the person in charge of all the creative aspects of a film and has
the most complete understanding of the story content, narrative structure, and design. And yet even a director does not
work alone.
Film is a unique art precisely because it requires a collaborative creative process. A variety of professionals and craftspeople
work together to make a film. Some have expert knowledge of light and technology. Others are experts in sound, music,
design, and construction. In this chapter, students study this collaborative process. The lessons move through the three
stages of production. We begin with planning the films story, structure, and look, then move on to filming the action on
the set. Finally, in the last lesson, we take students into the studio, where the film editor assembles the raw footage into the
final film, and where the composer and sound-effects editor create the soundtrack.
Contents
Lesson 1
Activity A
Activity B
Lesson 2
Activity A
Activity B
Activity C
Lesson 3
Activity A
Activity B
Lesson 4
Activity A
Activity B
Activity C
2
3
4
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
identify the three stages of creating a film;
describe the directors role in each stage of production;
explain what is meant by the directors vision and the collaborative process.
Key Terms
(Note: Most terms are defined within the activity text that follows. You may also refer to the glossary.)
pre-production, production, post-production, collaboration, director, directors vision, visual design, storyboard
Lesson 1 Materials
Activity
Activity A
Three Stages of
Production
DVD
None
Activity B
A Films Visual
Design
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Concept
The process for making a lm occurs in three stages pre-production, production, and post-production. While many
people contribute to making a lm, the director is the one person who has the greatest understanding of how all the parts,
or lmmaking tasks, come together to create the nal lm.
Engage
Write the following quotation from director Martin Scorsese on the chalkboard or overhead projector. Ask students to
freewrite for two to ve minutes on what they believe the director means. You might consider circling key words, such as
collaboration and vision.
To be a writer, you need a pen. To be a painter, a brush. To be a musician, an instrument. But to be a lmmaker, you need the
collaboration of others to bring your vision to the canvas that is the movie screen.
Close
Tell students that subsequent lessons in this chapter will explore each lmmaking role in more detail, so that by the end of
the chapter they should understand more completely how a lm develops from concept through completion.
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Concept
A movies visual design is the look of the nal lm. In planning this look, or design, the director considers many different
factors, including elements of lighting, set design, and costuming and makeup.
Engage
Write the following equation on the chalkboard:
Directors vision = storys content + narrative structure + the lms visual design
In chapter 1, students learned what is meant by the storys content and the narrative structure. Explain that in this activity,
they will learn the nal element in the equation, the lms look. Review, if necessary, story content (basic story elements of
characters, setting, plot, conict, theme) and narrative structure (how the story is told). Then ask students to suggest an explanation for the last element in the equation, the lms visual design. Encourage thoughtful responses by prompting:
Do actors all look and dress alike in lms? How do their looks differ?
Have you ever paid attention to the lighting in the lm or to the soundtrack? Do light and sound have colors or shades of
meaning?
Name some movies youve seen recently that have had bright and colorful images or some movies that have had darker
colors and shading.
Quotation
The words are familiar but the concept of the eye of the camera may
be unfamiliar to most students. The cameras lens is its eye and the
person who controls what the cinematographer photographs is the
director. The director works with the cinematographer in selecting not
only what to shoot but how. The resulting images, when edited together,
tell a story.
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Again, most words are familiar and yet the concept of lm language
may be new to most students. The director is saying that lm has its own
language through shots, movement, cuts, and composition. Explain
that placing people in the frame (the area the camera sees) and moving
them from one place to another within the frame is called composition.
They will learn more about composition and mise-en-scne in chapter 3.
View
Film Clip 2-1: The Directors Vision. After viewing, discuss student observations. Answers will vary.
Recommended answers are below.
Name some of the people with whom the director collaborates in making a lm. The screenwriter, the cinematographer, and the lm editor. In addition, the actors, the costume and set designers, the sound editor, and the music
composer all collaborate with the director.
2.
How is making a movie like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle? Answers will vary. When tted together, a jigsaw puzzle
makes a whole picture. The individual puzzle pieces like individual shots and scenes by themselves may have color
and shape and line, but they do not present the whole picture. The part they play in completing the image is fully realized
when the entire puzzle or lm is assembled.
3.
A lms look is the overall visual design, determined by the director. To explain this concept, the lm clip uses
shots from two classic lms, Citizen Kane and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Explain how the look of these two lms
differs. Students may readily note that one lm is in black-and-white and the other is in color. Beyond color, however, the lms
differ signicantly. Citizen Kane uses light and shadow in a dramatic way as well as unusual camera angles. For example,
the director uses an extreme close-up of a mans mustached mouth as he whispers Rosebud. The shot of the house in the
snow fools the audience into thinking they are looking at a snow scene, when in fact, as the camera pulls back, we see that
they are looking at a miniature house in a snow globe which the man is holding. 2001: A Space Odyssey has a futuristic
design. A dominant visual element is movement, the rotation of people and objects and the feel of weightlessness.
4.
The narrator says, The directors vision spans from conception to completion. What does this mean? The conception
is the idea for the movie before anything is written or planned. Completion is the nal movie released in theaters and on
video. So the directors vision covers every step of the lmmaking process.
Think More About It
Return to part 1 of this screening sheet. Now that youve seen the lm clip, do you have a better understanding of
what each quotation means? Read what you wrote in column 2, then change or add new information to your answers.
Answers will vary. Emphasize the key points, that a director is the one person who has the most complete understanding of
how the nal lm will look, and that this vision determines how all the members of the cast and crew complete their jobs.
Close
Return to the equation that began the activity and ask students to explain in their own words what is meant by the lms
visual design: Directors vision = storys content + narrative structure + the lms visual design. Emphasize that a directors vision
will vary from one lm to another. Movies have different looks, but this is not by accident. It is by design.
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Learning Outcomes
Students will:
explain the role of the screenwriter in making a film;
identify steps in the process of adapting a previously written/published story into a screenplay;
explain the role of the production designer in making a film;
understand that storyboards are a tool that help the director and the cinematographer plan the shots in the film.
Key Terms
(Note: Most terms are defined within the activity text that follows. You may also refer to the glossary.)
screenwriter, adaptation, production design, production designer, props, scale, storyboard, establishing shot, reaction shot, body double,
stunt double
Lesson 2 Materials
Activity
Activity
A
The Screenwriters Role
None
DVD
Activity B
The Production
Designers Role
Activity C
From Script to
Storyboards
Concept
An adaptation of a novel into a screenplay involves a step-by-step process that includes compressing the characters and
events of the novel into the uniquely visual narrative structure necessary for a lm.
Engage
Write this sentence on the chalkboard or overhead projector. It comes from chapter 12 of Harper Lees novel.
After one altercation, Jem hollered, Its time you started being
a girl and acting right! I burst into tears and ed to Calpurnia.
Ask students to rewrite this line of prose into a screenplay format. Responses should read something like this:
JEM
(annoyed)
Its time you started being a
girl and acting right.
Scout, crying, runs to Calpurnia.
Explain that a screenplay looks different than a book does. For one thing, in a script, all dialogue is written centered on the
page and is not enclosed in quotation marks. Characters names appear in all capital letters. Emotion or attitude is enclosed
in parentheses. Action is usually briey stated and placed on the left side of the page. You might wish to repeat this brief
warm-up activity with other lines from other stories.
What specically does the writer summarize in step 2, and what do some writers use to help them organize
their outline? The major events in the story; they sometimes use index cards.
3.
How does step 3 differ from step 2? In step 3, the writer identies a purpose for each possible scene in the lm.
The writer is beginning to plan how visually to translate the prose into a script. Step 2 involves simply listing all the
things that happen, not why.
4.
What types of scenes or events might a writer place in act 1? in act 2? in act 3? The writer will place exposition, or
scenes that reveal background information, in act 1, as well as the inciting incident. In act 2, the writer will place events
that show rising action and the climax. In act 3, the scenes that resolve the conicts will be placed.
5.
Why does a writer usually not include in the screenplay every scene from the book the lm is based on? A lms
narrative structure limits how long a lm can run. Emphasize that J. R. R. Tolkiens popular The Lord of the Rings novels
were adapted into three separate but related movies. Otherwise audiences would have had to sit almost seven hours to see
the entire story. Another reason is that some novel scenes are not visually interesting or dramatic. Too much dialogue or
too little dialogue can slow down the pace of the lm.
Distribute
Classifying Activity 2-2: The Trial to more clearly explain step 3 in the adaptation process. Review the
Word Builder box. Some scenes have more than one purpose, and students might wish to debate specically what each
scene contributes to the overall story. Accept all reasonable responses. Suggested answers follow.
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Enrichment
Explain why a screenwriter often reinvents a scene. Cutting a scene from a novel can leave a hole in the storys fabric.
Likewise, compressing time can leave out some important details necessary to understanding a characters motivation for
an action that will occur later in the story. To ll in the holes, the screenwriter may reinvent a scene. The writer takes the
essential elements of the scene characters and intent and recasts the scene in a different time or place.
Distribute
Reading Activity 2-3, Enrichment: Reinventing a Scene. Read then discuss the questions. Recommended
answers are below.
Identifying Details
1. Characters: What characters did Horton Foote omit? Miss Stephanie Crawford. Remind students that she is not the
only character Foote omitted from the screenplay. Some students who have read the book will know that Atticuss
sister who comes to live with the children is also omitted.
2.
Setting: Where and when does this action take place? It is night outside Tom Robinsons home after Tom has been killed.
3.
Action: What did Foote change about the action, and what did he not change? He chose not to have the scene told
through another person, reporting on what happened. He deleted Atticuss wry comment about Ewells tobacco. He
didnt change, however, Atticuss stoic reaction of not reacting to Ewells violence with violence of his own.
Think More About It
1. Why is this confrontation between Bob Ewell and Atticus Finch necessary to include? It foreshadows the
attack on Atticuss children. Ewell displays in this scene his need for vengeance. Share with students who
have not read the novel that Ewell threatens everyone involved in the trial, such as the judge and even Toms
widow. Foote, however, omitted those details and focused on the primary conict between Ewell and Finch.
2.
Why did Horton Foote reinvent the scene for the lm instead of running it the way it was in the novel?
The scene at night outside the Robinson home increases the drama and the tension. To have shown this scene
on Main Street during the day would have had a very different effect. Foote wants the viewer to sense Ewells
vengeance, and the darkness helps to achieve that. Also, to set it outside Robinsons home suggests that Ewell
has followed Finch there, increasing his menace.
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Close
Share this information with students:
Only chapters 17 through 21 in the novel focus on the actual trial of Tom Robinson. By contrast, the lm devotes a signicantly
greater amount of time to the trial (approximately 30 percent of total running time). Ask: Why might the screenwriter have
devoted so much time to the trial when it wasnt the main focus of the novel?
Inform students that the studios felt the novel had no real action, no violence, except off-screen, and no love interest. The trial
allows for courtroom drama. It is the rising action of act 2 that eventually triggers the climax, or turning point, of the lm.
Concept
The production designer works with the director to bring the ctional world of the movie to life on the screen.
Engage
Share this information with students:
To Kill a Mockingbird was not lmed in a small town in Alabama. The lmmakers did indeed travel to the hometown of
Harper Lee, said to be the setting of her novel. However, so much had changed from the 1930s, when the novel is set, to the
1960s, when the lm was made, that the lmmakers could not use much of the town as the setting for their lm. As a result,
the lm was made on acres of land the back lot at Universal Studios in California.
Ask students to suggest what might have changed from the 1930s to the 1960s. Guide discussion to include these areas
transportation, communications, streets, and buildings. While it is easier for students to compare the present day with the
1930s and to note what new inventions today would not have been around in the 1930s, it is more challenging for them to
compare one era of the past with another. Interested students can learn more about the decades of the 1930s and the 1960s
through library and Internet research.
What exterior locations were needed? Main street, a downtown section or public square outside the jail, the road
outside the Robinson house, the Radley yard, the Finch yard, the wooded area between the school and the Finch house
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Rick Carter says that a lm begins as a blank canvas. What does he mean? In the rst stages of making a
lm, there are no visuals or sets. The production designer, working with the director, must imagine what the sets will
look like and then begin to design them.
2.
Rick Carter says that the production designers role is to create a visual lmscape. You probably know
what a landscape is, but what is a lmscape? A lmscape is everything the audience sees on the screen
from set designs like the Gump house to exterior locations. You may wish to emphasize also that a lmscape
involves more than just physical locations or buildings. It includes costumes and props, or as Rick Carter says,
everything that is not literally the characters and the narrative.
3.
Identify three stages involved in designing the Gump house, as shown on this lm clip. First, the designer created
an illustration or drawing of the house. Next, the illustration was altered on a computer program called Photoshop
so that the designer could see how the house might t into a physical setting with trees and grass. Third, the designer
built a faade, or fake front, of the house and placed it in a physical location.
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View
Film Clip 2-2: Creating Worlds, Part 2 Creating Middle-earth. After viewing, discuss students
observations. Answers will vary. Recommended answers include those listed on the chart below.
Director Peter Jackson says, The way we tried to hint at the depth, which is all a lm can do, was partly through
the design process. What does he mean by hint at the depth? Depth suggests layering and multiple dimensions.
In this case, depth refers to author J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth, a place that existed only in his imagination before he
captured it on paper. What if this place really existed? What would it look like geographically? What would the characters
that lived in this place look like? What clothing and weapons would they have? These are the questions that Tolkien
answered when writing his novel. Jackson translated that written imagery into real sets and characters for the screen.
2.
Costume supervisor Ngila Dickson says that as an actor puts on a costume, layer by layer, he or she is really
putting on the character and that is why costume design is important in lmmaking. Explain in your own words
what she means. Answers will vary but should focus on the main idea that the costume creates credibility, not only for
the audience watching the lm but also for the actor portraying the character.
3.
Costume design involves more than sewing one costume for each actor. What other actors on the set also
required costumes identical to the lead actors wardrobe? Often actors are hired to stand in for a star during
shooting or to perform dangerous feats. These actors dress in the same costumes and wear the same makeup as the star.
In addition, because some of the characters in this lm were Hobbits, or little creatures, actors were hired for certain
shots that emphasized the Hobbits small size.
4.
Aside from costumes and sets, what other aspects of lm design are illustrated in this lm segment? Makeup,
including prosthetics, or false body parts, contact lenses and wigs; weaponry
5.
What did you learn about production design that you didnt know before seeing this lm clip? Responses will
vary but should focus on the main idea that design is more than just sketching buildings and interiors of houses or ofces.
It also includes creating characters and costumes to help the actors bring the character to life and to make the audience
believe that the story is credible. Production design can require a huge team.
Think More About It
If you had to make a budget for production design, what are some of the items youd have to add to your
purchasing list? Most students will recognize that production designers, costume designers, and people who actually
build the sets and sew the costumes need to be paid salaries. However, encourage students to think about materials
bolts of fabric, wood, metal, rubber latex, computers, paints, computer programs, drafting paper, etc.
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Close
Now that students have a better idea of what production design is, ask them to discuss what important historical considerations
the production designer needed to make when planning the To Kill a Mockingbird movie set. Emphasize that buildings are just
one aspect of production design. The type of car Atticus would drive, the items in his kitchen, the type of phone Calpurnia
uses, lamps, furniture, even the type of rie Atticus uses all these props needed to dovetail historically with the period in
which the story was set (1930s), not the one in which it was made (1962).
Concept
A director may use storyboards to plan shots for the lm and to communicate his or her vision to actors and production staff.
Engage
Write this phrase on the chalkboard or overhead projector: The woman looked old. Ask students: How do you know when
someone looks old? Encourage students to provide specic, vivid details by asking additional questions, such as, What do
her face or hands look like? How might her clothing reveal her age? What behavior might suggest that she is old? Students should
have no difculty providing details to esh out the image.
Next, ask students how a director might communicate to a production designer how a set should look. For example, in To
Kill a Mockingbird, the Radley house looks mysterious. Mysterious could mean many things a dark building in the middle
of a eld, a brightly lit home surrounded by a high fence, a building on a city block with windows and doors boarded over.
Very often a director will use a type of visual shorthand to communicate how a character or a set should appear. Instead of
writing a description, the director uses drawings, called storyboards. Although storyboards may look like simple cartoons,
the drawings provide information beyond what a character or a set might look like.
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Guided Discussion
Storyboards 1, 2, and 3
1. Describe what is shown in each panel or sketch. First, the leaves and branches
of a tree; second, birds sitting on a tree limb; third, a street with houses
2.
Which drawing rst, second, or third provides a closer look at a subject? Second image
3.
Which drawing rst, second, or third helps the audience to visualize the setting of the lm? Third image
4.
Note the arrows outside drawings 1 and 2. Arrows suggest movement. What type of movement is suggested by
the arrows drawn outside the frame? Draw students attention to the caption for each drawing and the phrase pan
down to. This means the camera will slowly move from the treetops down to the street. Note that students will learn
more about camera movement in chapter 3.
5.
What does the arrow that is mostly inside drawing (or frame) 2 suggest? Movement of an object or objects within
the frame, suggesting that the bird or birds will y away
Storyboards 4, 5, and 6
6. What information do these three drawings provide the lmmakers? The camera will show the audience the wagon
approaching and passing. In the third drawing on this page, the camera will move in closer on the wagon as it moves away.
Storyboards 7, 8, and 9
7. How do these three drawings differ? Answers will vary but should include the following points: Distance the middle
image is a close-up, the third image is the farthest, and the rst image puts the audience about midway. Detail each image
presents different information to help the audience understand what is happening. In the rst image, Mr. Cunningham is
unloading his wagon; in the second image, he is reaching for a sack; in the third image, he walks toward a house.
Storyboards 10, 11 and 12
8. Which of the three drawings might be called a close-up shot of a character? Give a reason for your answer. Second
image of Scout. The drawing focuses only on the tire and her face. In the other images, we see more details in the distance.
9.
In which image is Scout moving within the drawing, or frame? First image, indicated by the arrow
Introduce the screening activity. First, they will see storyboard images for a suspenseful scene in the lm the children
spying on the Radley house at night. Second, they will see a split screen. On the top of the screen will be the storyboard
images. On the bottom of the screen, playing simultaneously, will be the lmed shots of that scene. In this way, students
will be able to compare and contrast the storyboard images to the nal shots used in the lm.
Distribute
Screening Sheet 2-3: From Storyboard to Screen. Review the Word Builder terms and the chart to
ensure that students know what to observe and record.
View
Film Clip 2-3: From Storyboard to Screen. Teachers can pause the DVD at any point to emphasize
differences in the storyboard and the nal lm. Discuss students observations. Recommended answers include those
listed on the chart on the following page.
37
Comparisons
Contrasts
Why is the nal lm different from the storyboards? Creating the storyboards is only one step in the preproduction process of making a lm. Any number of factors may alter the nal look of the lm, including suggestions
by the other lmmakers involved in making the movie, such as the cinematographer and the production designer.
Also, in the post-production stage, the director works with the lm editor to select the best shots and to delete those
that do not work as well. In that case, a storyboard image might have been shot but was omitted in the nal cut of
the lm. Sound editors and composers can also play a part in the look of the nal lm.
Close
Ask students to freewrite for two to four minutes on ways they can apply what they have just learned about storyboarding to
other school subjects or activities.
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Learning Outcomes
Students will:
define what cinematography is;
describe the role of the cinematographer, or director of photography, in making a film;
understand that actors use a variety of techniques to make a fictional character credible;
identify reaction shots and construct narrative meaning from those shots.
Key Terms
(Note: Most terms are defined within the activity text that follows. You may also refer to the glossary.)
cinematography, cinematographer, color palette, mannerisms, reaction shot
Lesson 3 Materials
Activity
Activity A
The
Cinematographers
Role
DVD
Activity B
The Actors
Performance
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Concept
Cinematography is a lm language that communicates ideas, emotions, and relationships to the audience by photographing
light and shadows, movement, objects, and people.
Engage
Read or write on the chalkboard or overhead projector this quotation from cinematographer Conrad Hall. Ask students to
freewrite for two to four minutes what they believe the statement means.
The yin and yang of cinematography is about where to put the camera, should it stay still or move, what to light and what
not to light, is it better to go in or is it better to pull back to get the emotion you want?. . . We are storytellers and we dont
do it just with words.
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Quotation
Michael Chapman:
The cinematographers job is to tell
people where to look.
All of the words should be familiar. Even so, some students may need
help in understanding Chapmans meaning, which is that the camera
shows what the lmmaker wants the audience to see.
Caleb Deschanel:
The great cinematographers are able
to understand the stories they are trying to tell and nd those elusive visual
images that help to tell that story.
Conrad Hall:
I think visually. I think of how, if
you turned off the soundtrack, anybody would stick around and gure
out what was going on.
There are no unfamiliar words. Still, some students might need help in
understanding that Hall means he thinks not in words but in images
and that the images should be able to tell the story every bit as much
as the words and other sounds or music.
John Bailey:
The twenties was really a golden age
for cinema, because the camera was
unencumbered by sound . . . . It really
was a visual medium.
Bailey is referring to the 1920s. The unfamiliar words are unencumbered, which means not limited by or burdened, and medium,
which means format or means of communication. He is referring
to the time when movies were silent.
View
Film Clip 2-4: Visions of Light. Discuss student observations. Recommended answers include those listed on
the chart that follows.
1.
Describe the lighting in the shots from the opening scene from Oliver Twist. What is illuminated? What is
in shadow? How does this use of light help to create suspense? Because the scene occurs at night during a
storm, the lighting overall is dark. The rst shot shows clouds quickly covering the moon. The second shot shows a
woman walking along a dirt road. Some students may have observed that a cloud passes over the ground to cover her,
as well. As the lm proceeds, at times the womans face is lit (as if by lightning) so that the audience can see her
struggling, and at times her face is shadowed. The use of light creates credibility but also helps to establish a
mysterious, foreboding mood. (Note: Teachers may wish to replay the opening shots a second time for students
to study the use of light in this scene.)
2.
Conrad Hall says that cinematography is a language far more complex than words. What does he mean?
Answers will vary but should focus on the main idea that lm communicates through images, and the cinematographers job is to show (rather than describe in words) the action and the emotions of the characters. Refer students to
the quote by Hall in part 1 of this activity, that if you were to turn off the sound, the images would still tell a story.
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3.
The rst movies were made using black-and-white lm. Color technology developed in the 1930s. Allen
Daviau admires the early cinematographers because, he says, having to learn to see in black-and-white
was difcult. What does he mean by learning to see in black-and-white? The real world has color. Earlier
cinematographers, however, captured the real world in shades of black and white. Color is one tool a cinematographer
may use to communicate, but without color, a cinematographer must rely on light and shadow, contrast and depth,
lines and angles.
4.
What did you learn about cinematography that you did not know before you saw this lm? Answers will vary
but should focus on the main idea that cinematography is not just camerawork, but also the use of light.
Close
Ask students to suggest how they might use what they learned about cinematography in other school subjects. Answers will
vary. Some students might suggest using images to illustrate science concepts or historical events.
Concept
The way an actor interprets and then plays a character affects the audiences understanding of the story. Often, the actors
interpretation comes from personal experiences and values.
Engage
Divide the class into two or three groups. Each group will be a casting agency. Their job is to suggest possible actors for a new
lm. The lm will be a remake of the classic motion picture To Kill a Mockingbird. The agency must recommend two different
actors to portray each of the following roles:
Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, Scout, Jem, Tom Robinson
Allow time for the agency to discuss which popular actors today might best t each role. They should consider not only
physical appearance but other attributes, or characteristics. These include the following: age, the sound or tone of their
voice, their gestures or mannerisms, and their previous acting experience. For example, would Leonardo DiCaprio be a
good suggestion for the role of Tom Ewell? Why or why not?
Ask each agency to present their recommendations, then discuss the recommendations in general as a class. Conclude the
warm-up activity by asking: Why is an actor even a famous actor sometimes not right for a role?
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What did Collin Wilcox understand about her character that the costume designer did not understand?
She lived in an area where people like Mayella lived. She understood the setting and the character through her own
personal experience and knew how she would dress and look.
3.
What did Brock Peters do in order to cry during his scene in the courtroom? He recalled moments of pain in
his own life.
4.
What did Peters mean by fearing he was dry? He had cried so many times during the numerous takes that he
didnt think he had any tears left.
5.
Why did Peters call his time in rehearsal his vale of tears? He spent the entire time recalling painful memories
and weeping as he brought them to the surface.
Dene reaction shot. A reaction shot is often a close-up of a character. The camera captures the characters reaction,
either through facial expression or body language. The purpose of a reaction shot is to suggest to the audience what the
character is thinking. For example, a reaction shot might show a character smirking. That might suggest that the scene
is meant to be funny, at least from that characters point of view. Or the reaction shot may show a characters wide,
haunted eyes. That might suggest the character is frightened by what has just occurred.
Emphasize this important point: Reaction shots always suggest narrative meaning. By identifying and learning to read
reaction shots, students can better understand the relationship among characters.
Distribute
Screening Sheet 2-5: Actors Choices. This screening activity has three parts, or segments. Review the
Word Builder terms. Then, after viewing each segment, discuss students observations.
Introduce part 1 by sharing this information with students:
Brock Peters was born in 1927 in New York City and grew up in that city. The character he plays, however, is a poor farmer
in rural Alabama in the 1930s. In the 1930s, Peters was still an adolescent. How could Brock prepare for his performance as
Tom Robinson, falsely accused of attacking a white woman? Brock Peters himself provides an explanation in this lm clip.
View
Film Clip 2-5: Actors Choices, Part 1 Brock Peters as Tom Robinson. Discuss student observations.
Recommended answers follow.
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What does producer Alan Pakula mean when he says Peters has . . . a nobility about him? Answers will vary.
Some students might suggest that he has dignity, integrity. Others might suggest he appears gentle, well-mannered,
like the good guy or a hero. Still others might suggest these adjectives honest, sincere. Pakula does not mean by
nobility, however, that Brock looks like an aristocrat.
2.
In the shots of Brock Peters playing Tom Robinson, what actors tools does he use? Facial expressions, voice,
mannerisms, emotions, body language
3.
Years later, Brock Peters talks about his performance as Tom Robinson. What information does he share
about himself? He had experienced racism and real moments of horror, including being kicked and beaten. He
tapped the anger, frustration, and isolation he had felt earlier and used it in his acting.
4.
Gregory Peck says Brock gave me a problem. What was the problem? Brocks performance was so moving, Peck
had trouble staying focused. When Brock began to cry, Peck also felt tears and had to look past him instead of at him.
View
Film Clip 2-5: Actors Choices, Part 2 Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Discuss student observations.
Recommended answers are below.
During the interview, Gregory Peck shares a story about a letter he received from a schoolchild. What pleased
him about this letter? The child got the point that Atticus did not retaliate when Bob Ewell spat at him even though
Atticus could have clobbered Bob.
2.
What explanation does Gregory Peck give for not striking Bob Ewell during the scene outside Tom Robinsons
house? Atticus knew he was doing the right thing in defending Tom Robinson, but he also knew it would be unpopular
and even dangerous to do so. He had to summon his own courage, but he also had to set an example of courage and
dignity for his children.
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When director Robert Mulligan rst saw actor Robert Duvall in costume as Boo Radley, what was his
reaction? He was stunned by his paleness. He thought he was perfect for the part of this village recluse.
2.
Gregory Peck says watching Duvall portray Boo Radley is a lesson in screen acting. Duvall is on screen
only a few minutes and has no lines at all. In what way is his performance outstanding? Emphasize that
acting is much more than tone of voice and delivery of lines. Duvall became Boo with a simple glance and subtle
expressions showing his shyness, awkwardness, and affection.
3.
Even before he saw himself on screen, Duvall knew his performance was good. What suggested this to him?
He says he got goose pimples while performing the role.
Close
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences each year presents awards, called Oscars, to lmmakers who have made
outstanding achievements. Award categories include directing, screenwriting, production design, cinematography, and acting,
among others. In 1962, the academy nominated Gregory Peck for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Atticus
Finch. The academy also nominated Mary Badham for her performance as Scout. The academy did not nominate Brock Peters
or Philip Alford, who played Jem. Ask the class what criteria the academy might use in deciding to nominate a performance.
Incidentally, share with students that Gregory Peck won his only Oscar for this performance.
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Learning Outcomes
Students will:
explain what the film editors role is in the collaborative process of making a film;
define pacing in relationship to editing a film;
identify two functions of music in communicating to an audience;
explain the composers role in the collaborative process of making a film.
Key Terms
(Note: Most terms are defined within the activity text that follows. You may also refer to the glossary.)
film editing, film editor, raw footage, cut, splice, rough cut, final cut, continuity, pacing, frame, music composer, music score,
texture, dynamics
Lesson 4 Materials
Activity
DVD
Activity A
The Film Editors
Role
Activity B
What Stays, What
Goes, and Why
Activity C
The Music
Composers Role
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Concept
The lm editors job is to select the best shots from the raw footage of lm and to assemble those shots into a nal cut.
Engage
Remind students that a lm is not usually shot in sequence. A director doesnt always begin shooting with page one of the
script. The rst scene shot in To Kill a Mockingbird, for example, was the breakfast scene on Scouts rst day of school. That
scene, however, occurs in act 2 of the lm. One aspect of the lm editors job, therefore, is piecing together the raw footage
or unedited rolls of lm into logical sequences, from beginning to end. But the lm editors job involves much more.
Graphic Organizer 2-10: What Does the Film Editor Do? Review the tasks on the illustration.
Introduce the screening activity. The lm clip shows how the lm editor selects the best shots to use in the nal lm.
Explain that the clip they are about to see, from The Lord of the Rings, has seven frames. The largest frame at the bottom
is the nal cut of the lm. The smaller frames surrounding it comprise the raw, or unedited, footage from six different
cameras, each focusing on a different character or group of characters. The yellow outline that shifts from one camera to
another as the scene plays indicates which cameras footage was used in the nal lm. As students will discover, footage
from all six cameras was used at various points.
Distribute
Screening Sheet 2-6: Editing Shot-by-Shot. Although students will study specic types of shots in
chapter 3s lessons on lm language, review the Word Builder terms now to familiarize them with the language used
by the narrator in the lm clip.
For ease in referring to the various shots, and for those students who might not have seen the lm, review the names of
the main characters in The Lord of the Rings. This particular scene, for example, takes place in Rivendell where the Hobbit
Frodo volunteers to carry the ring into the res of Mordor and so destroy it. The other characters shown are those who
volunteer to go with him.
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View
Film Clip 2-6: Editing Shot-by-Shot. After the rst viewing, pause the DVD and allow students to complete
the rst two questions on the Screening Sheet. After discussing student observations, replay the segment again so that
students can observe more closely which shots from the raw footage were used in the nal lm. Emphasize that in order
to select the best shots to assemble into the nal lm, an editor may spend hours, even days, in the studio viewing raw
footage for a single scene.
How does this lm clip help you understand what a lm editor does and how? The lm clip shows what
movie audiences generally dont see the raw footage that does not make it into the nal lm. Most students should
understand that a lm editor must carefully review all camera footage in order to select the best shots to communicate
the story.
What did you learn about shooting and editing a lm that you did not know before viewing this lm clip?
Answers will vary but likely will focus on the idea that more than one camera in fact, often as many as six lm
the same scene from different angles, focusing on different characters. Others may say that they did not know that
an editor assembles the best shots into a nal lm using cuts from various reels of raw footage.
Close
Ask students to comment on how long it might take to edit an entire lm. Based on their experiences in viewing and
reviewing just one scene, most students will begin to understand that the lm-editing stage of making a movie can
take many months.
Concept
Pacing is a critical factor when selecting which shots to include and which to exclude from a nal cut.
Engage
Dene pacing. Explain that telling a story, even telling a joke, requires timing. If the person telling the story takes too long, the
audience becomes bored. If the person telling the story goes too quickly, the audience may become confused. When editing a
lm, the editor and director not only select the best shots to use but also assemble the shots in such a way that the story unfolds
neither too slowly nor too quickly. In the editing studio, this is called pacing. Timing is equally important when sensing an
audiences reaction a gasp, a scream, a laugh. The editor must anticipate audience reaction and allow time for that reaction
on the edited lm.
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1.
Why does Mayella cry? Why does Dill cry? The passage suggests that Atticus has hit Mayella hard with his
questioning. She is upset by being forced to answer questions about what happened, so much so that she glares
with hatred at Atticus. As for Dill, Scout thinks the heat has made him sick. But outside, Dill tells her Mr. Gilmers
meanness toward Tom has made him sick.
2.
What information about Atticus does passage A reveal? His gesture head down suggests he is upset by
what he has had to do to try to get the truth from Mayella. He is compassionate, not mean.
3.
What information about Scout does passage B reveal? Scout does not want to leave the courtroom and does so
only because Jem tells her she must. But she nevertheless cares for Dill and tries to make him feel better.
Display
Still 2-2: The Missing Scenes. This includes four storyboard drawings
from the end of the courtroom scene, after Tom Robinson has been found guilty and
is led from the room. As each image appears, ask students to
describe what is happening.
Guided Discussion
1. Identify which image or shot was included in the nal lm and
which was excluded? The second image or shot was the only one
included. The rst, third, and fourth images or shots were excluded.
2.
Why, do you think, did the director and the lm editor make the decision to omit these shots from the scene?
Student speculation as to why these shots were excluded will vary. Encourage discussion to focus on the reasons identied
above for deleting a shot: somehow it does not work or is not dramatic; it slows the pacing or slows the storyline.
Emphasize that Atticus walking out of the courthouse is so dramatic that to next show him upstairs in the balcony
would not only slow the storyline but also be anticlimactic.
Close
Share with students this old saying: A lm is written three times once by the writer, once by the director, and a third time by the
editor. Ask students to explain what they think that means. Focus attention on how the director might make multiple shots
of a single scene and then decide in the editing process which version to use and how and even where in the plot sequence
to place it all of which will change the story.
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Concept
The music composer works with the director to determine where and how music might enhance the visual storytelling.
To do this, the composer keeps two key goals in mind: Music can convey information, and music can trigger an emotional
reaction in the audience.
Engage
Ask students what part of the United States they associate with country-and-western music, with jazz, with rap, with reggae.
Their responses will vary, depending on their knowledge of music. Typically, people associate country-and-western with rural
areas, the South, or the Old West. Jazz usually conjures a cosmopolitan environment. Accept all reasonable responses.
Next, test students listening skills by reading aloud this quote from Elmer Bernstein. Bernstein was the music composer for
To Kill a Mockingbird. Initially, he was stumped about what music could best express the storys themes.
I had six weeks before I wrote a note of any kind. I didnt know what to do. I sat there like a dummy for six weeks and just
couldnt get into it. I couldnt gure out what the lm was about in a way that was an open door to walk through. Certain
things were obvious it was about racism, the Depression, the South. But the minute you say its about the South you get tied
up with geography. Do you want banjos and the blues? I didnt want to get involved in geography.
Guided Discussion
1. Have you ever felt the way Elmer Bernstein did that you couldnt think of what to write or do for an assignment?
If so, what did it feel like? Students answers will vary.
2.
What do you think he means when he says I didnt want to get involved in geography? Hes not talking about
drawing maps. Ensure that students understand his meaning: We associate certain places with certain types of music.
What idea inspired Elmer Bernstein in writing the childrens theme? Because the story unfolds through the eyes
of Scout and Jem, the composer developed a musical language for them based on how children play a piano when
experimenting. They poke randomly at the keys, usually with one nger.
2.
According to the composer, Boo Radley means two things to the children. First, he is scary. Describe the
type of music the composer created to convey scariness. To communicate the childrens fear, Bernstein composed
frightening music with lots of texture and rising dynamics. He calls it over the top, which means exaggerated.
3.
The second thing Boo Radley represents to the children is mystery. Describe the type of music the composer
created to suggest mystery. To communicate mysteriousness, Bernsteins music is soft, tentative, or hesitating. You
hear a few notes, then a pause, then a few more notes. It doesnt say anything, but it asks a question.
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Introduce part 2. Explain that students will rst hear the soundtrack for a short scene from To Kill a Mockingbird. The
screen will be black, and they should try to imagine what is happening. Then the scene will automatically play again,
this time with the images. The goal of the activity is to illustrate how music can suggest meaning but also how a composer
creates a music score that reects the action in the scene.
View
Film Clip 2-7: Music and Meaning, Part 2 Ears and Eyes. Discuss student observations. Recommended
answers are on the chart below.
Close
In lesson 3, cinematographer Conrad Hall said he thinks visually. He imagines the lm without sound, meaning the images
must convey the story. This lesson, however, shows that music too conveys meaning. To illustrate how images and music
build layers of meaning, play a scene from a lm without the volume. Simply press the mute button on the remote control.
Ask students to describe what is happening. Then play the selection again, this time with the sound, and ask students to
describe how their interpretation of and reaction to the shots have changed. West Side Story has an excellent example for this
type of viewing-and-listening activity. On the DVD format, go to chapter 3, The Sharks.
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