How did your team conceive your project? How was inquiry introduced to students and how did you integrate the inquiry process into your project?
We began our process with an open ended question that led us to discover our vision for our class. “Why here, why now?” was the catalyst (launching pad) for the journey with our students. Short form content was the backbone of our lesson planning because it introduced our students to different types of mediums such as Animation, Silent Films, short films, foreign films. Those discoveries lead to theatre lessons around “The 5W’s of Acting (Who, What, When, Why, Where)
How did your team’s project change?
As our lessons progressed we began to discover the students’ abilities and interests which led to film terminology, which included self taping their monologues. This then led us to the idea of creating a short film and including them in every aspect of the film process from pre-production to post production (the writing process, voice over work, costume design, acting, directing, filming, and editing).
How did you integrate English Language Arts into your projects?
Teaching the student about the 5 W’s of acting led to the discovery of character development, setting, plot, and theme within a story. This allowed them to dig deeper and think more critically about the stories they were telling and would soon share through their project experience.
What did you learn about your students and how they learn? And what did you learn about how you teach?
We built our curriculum around our students' interests. This engagement sparked their imaginations because they were able to relate to the characters on screen. We found that when we worked this way it was easy to carry conversations around character work/ development.
Zoom Acting Class
In-Person Rehearsal
Short Film-Walk Through
The Monologue Series
In theatre/film, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media, as well as in non-dramatic media such as poetry. Cape students coached by Angela Beckefeld & Tristien Marcellous Winfree
An Actor's Guide To Self Tape
Self tapes are what many actors and casting directors refer to when an audition is done through digital casting. Rather than trying out in person, performers submit video of their audition. Cape students learned from this virtual lesson by artist Tristien Marcellous Winfree.
What's next with The Actor's Quest ?
Students had the opportunity to create a 12-minute short film about a theme centered around growing up. This project was a 5 week intensive on Pre Production planning, Writing The Script, Production Rehearsal, Filming and Editing. Now you're probably thinking. WOW! That sounds like a lot of work. Well guess what? We worked as team to make this vision happen.
