Shadow of Blue
Shadow of Blue is a beautiful animation that mixes together models and real life to create a stunning visual effect.
I would not do this as 1 lesson but this is how I would watch the film over a period of 2-4 lessons
There are many question and discussion points in the film. Pause at 2m48s and ask:
· Who is this girl?
· Why is she sat all alone in the park/woods?
· What do we think she is like?
· Why does she seem so thoughtful? Sad?
Pause at 3:06 and ask what they think has just happened? Can they predict what will happen next?
At 03:36 ask what is happening? Do they think the shadow has the same personality as the little girl? Why?
Pause at 05:21 – discuss use of music – children could write rich descriptions of the scene and make predictions about what they think will happen next. What is through the gate?
Pause at 5:40 discuss use of music for tension – can children replicate this in writing using long descriptive sentences punctuated by small snappy ones?
Watch the next section where the little girl is getting watched by the crow. The children could write about this but remember show not tell. Describe something watching her – shiny little eye watching her and a coat that shimmered in the cracks of light – keep the reader guessing don’t just say – A crow was watching her.
Discuss range of emotions 7:42 – 08:46, possibly create an emotions graph and write inside/outside sentences to show what she is feeling when she scares off the crow with the branches.
Pause at 08:45 who is this lady watching? What can we tell from her dress? Her expression? What is she doing? What might happen next?
Pause at 9:30 why is she carrying her like that? Any ideas who this lady is yet?
Pause again at 09:34 – DISCUSS! There will be a large discussion to have here about the little girl. Why was she so imaginative? Why did her shadow have to have the adventures etc?
What does the blue butterfly do at the end? I like to think that it is spreading her lust for life around the hospital/orphanage and then around the town.
The end – Pause – and............................ WOW!
What to do next:
WRITE
Write the narrative of the story in own words, maybe 1st person for the little girl and 3rd person for the shadow or more interestingly the other way round.
Write dialogue between the girl and her shadow.
Perhaps the little girl writes an imaginary diary each night about her shadow adventures, write this one and other adventures that the mischievous shadow has.
I would not do this as 1 lesson but this is how I would watch the film over a period of 2-4 lessons
There are many question and discussion points in the film. Pause at 2m48s and ask:
· Who is this girl?
· Why is she sat all alone in the park/woods?
· What do we think she is like?
· Why does she seem so thoughtful? Sad?
Pause at 3:06 and ask what they think has just happened? Can they predict what will happen next?
At 03:36 ask what is happening? Do they think the shadow has the same personality as the little girl? Why?
Pause at 05:21 – discuss use of music – children could write rich descriptions of the scene and make predictions about what they think will happen next. What is through the gate?
Pause at 5:40 discuss use of music for tension – can children replicate this in writing using long descriptive sentences punctuated by small snappy ones?
Watch the next section where the little girl is getting watched by the crow. The children could write about this but remember show not tell. Describe something watching her – shiny little eye watching her and a coat that shimmered in the cracks of light – keep the reader guessing don’t just say – A crow was watching her.
Discuss range of emotions 7:42 – 08:46, possibly create an emotions graph and write inside/outside sentences to show what she is feeling when she scares off the crow with the branches.
Pause at 08:45 who is this lady watching? What can we tell from her dress? Her expression? What is she doing? What might happen next?
Pause at 9:30 why is she carrying her like that? Any ideas who this lady is yet?
Pause again at 09:34 – DISCUSS! There will be a large discussion to have here about the little girl. Why was she so imaginative? Why did her shadow have to have the adventures etc?
What does the blue butterfly do at the end? I like to think that it is spreading her lust for life around the hospital/orphanage and then around the town.
The end – Pause – and............................ WOW!
What to do next:
WRITE
Write the narrative of the story in own words, maybe 1st person for the little girl and 3rd person for the shadow or more interestingly the other way round.
Write dialogue between the girl and her shadow.
Perhaps the little girl writes an imaginary diary each night about her shadow adventures, write this one and other adventures that the mischievous shadow has.
