English and Communication:

The 3 Ss

Two films: The Sandman and A Slippery Tale

You are going to watch two very different films with one big similarity – there is no dialogue (speaking) in either.

You are going to discuss the differences between the films.

You will think about how music and sound effects are important to the narrative (the story).

Task – predicting genre

Try to predict the genre (type) of each film. Both are silent – there is no talking (dialogue) – but

what other genre do they belong to, e.g. comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, romance?

Can you predict the genre simply by looking at pictures of the film?

The Sandman

The Sandman – Questions

Setting1. Is the film mainly set indoors or outdoors?2. Is the film set in the past, present or future? 3. What clues are there in the film to tell us this?4. What time of day/year is it?5. What other setting might this film work in?

Story - Character1. What age are the characters?2. What happens in the film?3. What genre does this film belong to? 4. Does it have a happy or sad ending?

Story - Character background

In pairs or small groups write a short diary entry about the two characters in the first scene.

Give them names, ages and a life story.

You should give details of the day to help us understand why the boy has had such a terrible nightmare.

Story - Script

You are going to work with a group to write a short script based on the day leading up to the nightmare in The Sandman.

You must have the woman and the boy as two of your characters. You can make up two others.

You don’t have to write your script down – you can record it as audio, video or both.

A Slippery Tale

A Slippery Tale – Questions

Setting1. Is the film mainly set indoors or outdoors?2. Is the film set in the past, present or future? 3. What clues are there in the film to tell us this?4. What time of day/year is it?5. What other setting might this film work in?

Story - Character1. What age are the characters?2. What happens in the film?3. Does it have a happy or sad ending?

Story

In pairs or small groups write a short paragraph about the two characters in the last scene.

Give them names, ages and a life story.

You should give details to help us understand why the frog is so happy to have found a mate.

Story – Script

You are going to work with a group to write a short script based on A Slippery Tale.

You will have the frog, the bird, the woman and the female frog as your characters.

You should write out the dialogue you come up with, then you will present it by speaking it along with the film.

Sound

Films with no speaking parts (dialogue) often make good use of sound.

Q. What natural sounds were used a lot in A Slippery Tale?

Sound effects and soundtrack music are played with the film.

Q. How do you think a different soundtrack would change the feel of the film?

Two films - genre

Were your predictions correct?Try to agree on the genre (type) of

each film.What did each film have that made you

decide on the genre?