Pop Culture: Digging Deeper Into Film Criticism

We'll start class by developing criteria for our teaser trailers and film festival programming.  We'll divide into groups of folks who are most interested in creating each one.   From there, based on the research you've done and experience you've had, you'll determine the criteria by which your product should be assessed.  I will turn this criteria into a rubric for Thursday.  Products will be due at the end of next week.

From there we will examine several clips from critically acclaimed and culturally relevant films.  Our goal is to identify the qualities that make up a quality film and also to get a better sense of the techniques filmmakers and actors use to engage the audience -- as well develop meaning and intention.

Here are the clips we'll be working with though not necessarily in this order.



HOMEWORK.
Blog: 3+ Posts
Req'd Post:  Film Review.

A.  Read through the four reviews of the first Hunger Games films linked here.
Roger Ebert here
Lisa Schwarzbaum here
Peter Travers here
IMDB.com User emptygravity here

B.  Choose a film you feel worthy of your time to write about.  It may be because you want to tear it apart and it may be because you want to sing its praises.  It may be a little bit of both.

C.  Write a 2-3 paragraph film review in which you attempt to copy the style of one the above reviewers by using the same techniques in your own review.

You might consider which of the above reviewers use the following:
References to other films in which the actors have appeared
References to other films the director has made
References to the source material for the film (in this case, a novel)
Summary of the plot
Spoilers and/or spoiler warnings
Spoiler-free discussion
Vivid and descriptive language
Casual and general langugage
Use of 1st Person "I"
Some form of review coding system: numbers, stars, thumbs, etc.

D.  In a final paragraph, explain which reviewer's style you were trying to adopt for your review.  To what extent has this influenced how you watch films?

DUE: Friday, November 7

DESIGN: Film Festival or Teaser Trailer
DUE: Friday, November 14

Pop Culture: Movie Festivals

We are going to focus our energy on movie festivals today.

There are resources in your Pop Culture 2014 OUT folder on Google Drive.

http://www.sundance.org/pdf/film-guide/SFF14-FilmGuide.pdf

http://drafthouse.com/austin

http://www.miff.org/

AP Lit: Quarter Review Discussion

Today we discuss the year thus far, exploring the ideas with which we've been grappling and the manners in which we've been grappling with them.

A great day for constructive criticism and adjustments we can make to the class to improve moving forward.

HOMEWORK.

Indie Book Discussion: Next Class!
Due: Tuesday, November 4

Indie Book Projects: No More Dumpster Projects! Woot!
Due: Thursday, November 6
Complete: Design thinking process packet (don't wait until the end! That defeats the point!  It becomes busy work!)
DT Packet: Look for the packet in the AP Lit 2014 OUT folder

Humanities: Speak, Music, Manliness, Empathy & Discussion

Today, we grapple with the final pages of Speak.

And we are going to revisit some of the issues we brought up the other day, after learning of what Andy Evans did to Melinda.  Rather than just sit and talk, we are going to explore three different texts: a TED talk video and two songs.

Transcript here.


"Sic Transit Gloria" lyrics here.



"Face Down" lyrics here

Then we are going to use a discussion format called an Inside/Outside Circle.  There are lots of versions of this.  In ours it will work like this.

Half the class will sit in the middle and discuss the topic at hand, while the other half of the class sit around the outside with copies of the lyrics, the books, and the transcript of the TED talk in hand.

The outside circle listens and searches for evidence in the texts to back up what they are hearing in discussion.

When the circles switch, the outside circle must make connections to what the inside circle said and back it up with connections to the texts.

For Example: "I like what Randolph said about Melinda struggling with expressing herself.  It reminded me of "Sic Transit Gloria" where it says, "He's holding back from telling her exactly what it really feels like."

The cycle switches back and forth until each group has been in both locations multiple times.

HOMEWORK.

PREPARE:
Graded Class Discussion on Monday.  Inside/Outside Circle
Bring moments from Speak, the songs, the TED talk, that you want to discuss.
Questions you want answered.
Points you want to make.

Refresh.  Catch Up.
Gear Up for Q2.
Choose your focus for our design thinking project: fidget or signage.

AP Lit: Prufrockin Remixes Begin

Design Challenge: Prufrockian Remixing.

How might we remix “Prufrock” into a derivative work (meaning, it is based on/inspired by an original) that reflects the poetic and design qualities and intentions of T.S. Eliot’s original?

DISCOVER.

Last class you did just this.  You spent a day exploring Prufrock and discussing and figuring.

Today, before you start empathizing and experimenting, take a moment to refresh your thinking with this spidea web.

Recreate this on paper in front of you.  When you think of what you’ve done with “Prufrock” so far, what immediately springs to mind.  5 min.  No more.

Follow this up quickly with an I NOTICE/I WISH/I WONDER over “Prufrock.”  Again, quick.  5 min.  Rekindle what you’ve already discovered.  

EMPATHIZE.

Work in pairs or triads.  Someone has to volunteer to be interviewed about their thoughts and feelings about “Prufrock.”  Here’s the thing.  It isn’t a lecture on Prufrock.  They must be asked questions by the other members of the class.  5 min interviewing one student.  

Then choose another.  Grand total.  10 minutes.

As you are taking notes during the interview, use this empathy map tool.  Consider what they are saying and doing as they are talking, and imagine what they might be thinking and feeling based on that.

EXPERIMENT!

Print off copies of “Prufrock.”   Cut it up.  Make it bigger.   Rewrite.  Move it around.  Remember in a remix you can add layers upon layers, bring in new, add your own.

There’s butcher paper in the lockers in the hallway.  Use it.  There’s stuff in the closet.  Use it.  There are LEGOs and Jenga blocks and who knows what?

The key?  Making sure it embodies the spirit and intention of the original while still seeming like a whole new work.

Inform your experimentation with what others have told you, what you’ve discovered about Prufrock.

Be wild.  Be free.  Try things.  See what happens.  Take lots and lots of pictures.  Put them on your blog.  Not because it is required but because it matters and it helps.  Please share them with me as well.

(No pics because I got caught up in the million other things in the room. Gah. Too much awesome.)

PRODUCE.

For next class, bring a finished iteration of your remix for discussion, feedback, exploration.  We’ll be using the feedback wheel.

Also, read and annotate the articles I will be sending to you about Prufrock and Eliot.  What do they uncover that we hadn’t?  How does your remixing experience lend itself to that sorts of thinking?

HOMEWORK.

PRODUCE: Finish your “Prufrock” Remix.

Due: Next Class

READ: Read and annotate the academic articles on “Prufrock.”

Due: Next Class.

REVISE: Revise any revision that I give back to you this week by SUNDAY, if you so choose.  

What?!  I know.  Yes.

Humanities: Kahoot, Speak & Empathy Building

KAHOOT.

We started with Kahoot and Mr. Mason, guiding us through a review of Roots 1 - 3 before Thursday's quiz, as well as the Whole New Mind senses.

Then we turn to some serious content with . . .

SPEAK.

We will do an activity to help us better understand Melinda, as well as Andy Evans, with regards to the development in last night's reading of Speak.   We'll put up some pictures today of our work.


Our goal?  To build our capacity for empathy with Melinda and better understand why she has been doing what she's been doing throughout Speak.  And also to better understand the mindset of someone like Andy Evans so that we can work to change it in the people around us.

HOMEWORK.

Read: Speak.
Due: FRIDAY!  END OF BOOK!

Complete:  STEAL Characterization Graphic Organizer for Speak.
Note: No options on this one.
Due: Friday. Oct 31

Study: Roots Quiz 3 (Roots 1 to 3)
Complete: Roots Product 3
Due:  Thursday, Oct 30th.

AP Lit: Design Thinking & Book Projects

Tuesday and Wednesday were intended to be DEEP design thinking FlashLab experiences for us to get more familiar with the DEEP design thinking strategies and how to apply them to our work in class. Tuesday went well, while Wednesday was thrown off by us having a short class and my having to leave early unexpectedly.

I wanted to connect some of the dots for folks here in advance of you digging into your book projects.  The projects themselves are due on November 6 or 7, depending upon your class.  HOWEVER, you must have your books finished by the beginning of the week (Nov 3 & 4) so we can have our last graded class discussion for Q1.

INDIE BOOK PROJECTS.

By now you should have started your award winning/finalist (of last 20 years) OR AP Lit test suggested title.  There's a list in the Google Drive if you have yet to decide.  Also, our library has several of the titles in stock.

When you embark on creating your project this time, consider it a design challenge:  How might we demonstrate the qualities that earned that work its accolades?

You will be expected to complete the design thinking packet I've provided before -- and I'll provide again -- and submit alongside your project on the due date.

Key:  empathy.  Think about your user. What will engage them?  What will they understand?  What will draw them in and convey your thinking?  And think beyond your immediate user.

No more dumpster projects.  Create something that matters, that will reach your user and that demonstrates genuine understanding.  Consider the myriad possibilities.

AND . . . TRUST THE PROCESS.  Use the design process.  Interview people.  Ideate.  Brainstorm.  Find out what your users want to see, what makes them think, and then align that with your skill sets.

DISCUSSION.

We'll be looking at "Prufrock" on Thursday and Friday with our first graded class discussions.  We'll be using this rubric to assess your discussions.  Key here?  Pointing to specifics in the texts -- citing specific lines --  and building on, as well as refuting or challenging, others' points of view.

We are going to use slightly different formats in the two classes because one is so small.


HOMEWORK.

Read & Annotate: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot

Read: Indie Reading Book.
Design: Project
Due: 1st Week of November

Complete: Synthesis Essay Revisions
Due: Friday!
(If you have submitted a revision this week, you will get one more shot at it.  It will be assessed this weekend.)