Curriculum links and activities: The Arts: Media Arts (Level 10)

 
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Suggested activities:

Before watching the documentary

  • Read the Synopsis and How the Film Came About chapters. Answer the questions related to each chapter and share with classmates.

  • Read about the filmmakers Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore and Michelle Grace Hunder and answer the questions. (ACAMAR079).

  • With the class (using a digital collaborative space such as a google doc, or a piece of paper) make a list of the technical and symbolic elements you expect to see manipulated in the documentary. Technical and symbolic elements can include camera techniques, lighting, colour, costume, editing, sound….

Watch the documentary

  • As you watch the documentary, select a technical and a symbolic element you and your classmates guessed would be used and describe how the film makers manipulated this in the documentary. Explain how you think each created meaning for audiences. (ACAMAR078)

  • During the Behind the scenes interview Sangiorgi Dalimore discusses how she considered audiences while constructing the narrative – especially with the “tone”. She explains 4 types of audiences she considered. Identify these and pick a way in which you think the documentary was constructed to engage them.

After watching the documentary

  • Read the Documentary Style and Genre chapter and answer the stimulus questions. (ACAMAR078, ACAMAR079, ACAMAM073)

  • From the chapter About the Musicians, select a musician

    • Watch a video from the Vignette series and describe ideas they discuss in their interview.

    • Find an official music video of the musician.

    • Select a sequence of at least 12 shots, screenshot and describe the technical and symbolic elements of the shots. (ACAMAR078, ACAMAR078)

    • Reimagine this sequence of at least 12 shots, with a storyboard representing the ideas explored in interviews with the musician. (ACAMAM076) ACAMAM075) (ACAMAM074) (ACAMAM073)

    • Explain how your storyboard might change the representations in the music video for audiences.

    • Read about the Australian Classification rating system. In Australia, Music videos are not classified but films and video games are. Do you think Music Videos should be classified under Australian law? Explain and justify your ideas. (ACAMAM077)

  • Re-watch the weather forecast sequence in the documentary (from 36minutes)

    • Identify the technical and symbolic elements of a news weather forecast that were manipulated – what is similar and different to a traditional news weather forecast? Try comparing with one from a news broadcast.

    • Do you think this manipulation of technical and symbolic elements to challenge audience values was successful or not? Explain your reasoning (ACAMAR078)

    • Plan another sequence in the documentary that uses and manipulates the technical and symbolic elements of a recognised media form to outline information. For example, consider media forms such as television game show, advertisement, unboxing video…. Plan a parody sequence using conventions of this form but relating to gender equality in the music industry. (ACAMAM076) (ACAMAM074) (ACAMAM073)

    • Consider the language used in the weather forecast scene and the “beeped” out word. Read about the Australian Classification of M and explain why you think the documentary is classified as M.

For storyboarding information, suggested resources: