You are going to be discussing Big Fish in a semi-large group to extend your thinking about the film in relation to the themes/CRT prompts. You will also self-evaluate (and receive a teacher evaluation) of your preparation for and participation in 2 of the 4 discussions.
It will be to your benefit to highlight and take notes on the screenplay as you read it to help with comprehension and detecting patterns. You are welcome to print a copy if you find that more helpful, but you need to use your home printer for that. To do this electronically, follow these steps:
How do I know what to highlight or take notes on?
- make note of the basic story facts: character names and their relationships to each other, settings, conflicts, timeline of events (especially important as the film is not chronological but rather jumps around)
- make note of repeated images, as these might hold symbolic value (the title itself is a major hint for what to look for, as a start)
- make note of references to storytelling, identity, death, the hero's journey - these are all issues you could discuss in your Spider Web Discussion and in your CRT
DISCLAIMER: Be aware that the screenplay and the film are not identical in content; some scenes or parts of scenes have been deleted, and some lines and directions have been changed. It might be a fun challenge to see if you can spot the changes when viewing, and also consider why Burton ultimately decided to make these changes.
Important Cultural Notes: A fish story is a story that exaggerates the truth. Every time a fisherman tells his story about the fish he caught, the fish gets bigger. A catfish is a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes.