Lesson 7: Silent Film Introduction

***will take 2 days***

Objective

● Students will understand how movement is used to communicate meaning in silent film by watching and discussing The General (dir. Buster Keaton).

Standards

● Utah

• ○  Standard 7-8.T.R.3: Formulate a deeper understanding and appreciation

  of a drama/ theatre work by considering its specific purpose or intended

  audience.

• ○  Standard 7-8.T.R.5: Examine a drama/theatre work using supporting

  evidence and criteria, while considering art forms, history, culture, and

  other disciplines. ● National

• ○  TH:Cn11.2.8.b. Identify and use artifacts from a time period and place to develop performance and design choices in a drama/theatre work.

• ○  TH:Re7.1.7.a. Compare recorded personal and peer reactions to artistic choices in a drama/ theatre work.

  Materials needed

● Buster Keaton: The General (1926) FULL HD

Warm-up

● Warm-Up Question

• ○  What’s your favorite movie?

• ○  If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?

  Instruction

• ●  Explain that in preparation for their silent films, we’ll be spending the next two days watching the movie The General.
• ●  I will just share my screen over Zoom to watch the film. It may be less smooth with the streaming but should still work fine.

○ If the screen-sharing does not work, they will have to watch it on their own and fill out the notecatcher below!

● Background of The General
○ Action comedy film by Buster Keaton, who directed and acted as the main

character in the film - he is very famous for his silent films

• ○  Takes place during the Civil War, inspired by real events— The Great Locomotive Chase. In real life, the main character was James J Andrews who was a Union soldier helping to fight for the North.
• ○  In the film, they flipped it because at the time they were worried about making the South “villains” so the main character is instead a Confederate soldier
• ○  Just to be clear, we do not want to support most everything the Confederacy stood for. Many of them were villains because of the way they treated other people as they lobbied for slavery.

• ○  For the purposes of this film, we are watching it as a fictional story to watch a man fighting for his nation. If it helps, you can think of it from the real life events of him being a Union soldier so we are not supporting the Confederacy. Otherwise, just focus on the elements of movement you are seeing.

  ● Notecatcher

• ○  Make a copy of this document to fill out as we’re watching:

  The General Notecatcher

• ○  As we watch the movie, I’ll be pausing it to discuss what we are noticing

  about how movement and other elements are used to make the story clear.

• ○  As we watch and discuss, be taking notes about how you notice the four

  elements of movement are incorporated.

• ○  On the back, feel free to brainstorm any ideas you have for your own silent

  film. Remember— no death!

• ○  Emphasize that no phones or other technology devices are permitted for

  use. If they feel the temptation is too much, they can drop their phone off

  at my desk and I’ll keep it safe for them until the end of class.

• ○  Also have them write one other person they’d like to be in a group with on

  their paper.

• ●  Watch the film, pausing periodically to discuss.

• ●  Some potential discussion points

  • ○  Subtitles are helpful, but don’t have that replace everything otherwise you’re reading a book with pictures
  • ○  Music
  • ○  Facial expressions
  • ○  Camera angles
  • ○  Blocking
  • ○  Props
  • ○  Elements of movement

Practice

○ Places to Pause
■ The scene where he’s getting denied, lots of good gesturing, how did

you know what was going on?
■ Before he strangles his girlfriend so they know we don’t condone

that

• ●  After the first day, ask them to put in the chat one other person they’d like to be

  in a group with.

• ●  Once we’ve finished The General, have them watch this example of a student

  silent film to help them recognize that they can create a great silent film without a big huge train AND without death.

○ PGJH Silent Film.mov

Assessment

• ●  Each of you will be creating your own silent film for the project. You can do this without another person—remember, SO much of The General was just Buster Keaton onscreen. You may also play multiple characters if you’d like—just change up the costuming and physicality to make it clear. You may also enlist a family member or friend to be in it with you.

  ○ You are being graded on movement so pay particular attention to your staging, physicality, energy, and gestures.

  ○ It should be 2-3 minutes long.
  ○ The “no death rule” is in effect.
  ○ There will have to be some sort of storyline, not just running around being

  crazy or sitting around doing nothing; we will work on it more next time!

• ●  By the end of class, they need to have chosen a genre at least and a basic premise

  with characters assigned!

  • ○  Before you can leave, you must put in the chat the genre you’re choosing

    and your basic premise.

  • ○  Start thinking about how you want to physicalize your character with the

    elements of movement.

• ●  Also turn in your notecatcher on Canvas.