Canowindra High School
Stage 4 English: Animation unit worksheets
Worksheet 1
Sample film genre sheet – gothic
Items
candles
Characters
young, innocent
woman
Clothes
old fashioned
letters or diary
hidden in secret
rooms or furniture
compartments
old paintings
often black or dark
mysterious,
coloured
handsome stranger
men dressed in
cruel uncle or
suits or dark
father
clothes
skeletal trees
absent mother (she
might be dead)
Settings
large old house
with long corridors
and unused
sections
remote locations
misty moors
shadows and
darkness
Events
young woman has
to fend for herself
young woman falls
in love with
handsome,
mysterious
stranger
cruel uncle or
father attempts to
stop romance
woman fears for
her or her lover’s
life
thunder and
lightning
Actors
Music
a secret is revealed creepy orchestral
music
young woman gets
lost in dark
romantic,
corridors of the old sentimental
mansion or in the
orchestral music
dark forest
for the romance
moments
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 1 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 2
Genre sheet
Task: Complete the sheet by writing in all the features of the film genre your group has chosen
Items
Characters
Clothes
Settings
Events
Actors
Music
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 2 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 3
Wallace and Gromit genres– A close shave
Look for the genre identifiers in the film and write these into the appropriate
section.
Thriller
Romance
Action
War
Comedy
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 3 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 4
Film viewing guide
Task: Each person in your group should focus on a different aspect of mise-enscene. As you watch the scene, make notes about the filmic feature you have
been allocated. Include as much detail as you can, and specific examples. When
you have finished viewing the scene, share your findings with the group.
A. Setting
 inside or outside?
 features of the landscape
 dominant colours
 time – day/night? season? (how do we know?)
B. Camera
 shot type - close ups, long shots, mid shots, wide shots, extreme long
shots and extreme close-ups
 camera movement - track, tilt, pan, dolly, still, hand-held effect
 angle – point of view shots, high, low, side
C. Editing
 length of shots
 transitions – cuts, fades, dissolve, wipe
 dialogue matching vision (eg. When the sound for the next scene cuts in
before the current scene is finished)
D. Sound
 music
 diegetic sound
 non-diegetic sound
 dialogue
 silence
E. Characters
 age
 size and shape
 gender
 action – what are they doing?
F. Lighting
 colour
 brightness
 shadow
 natural or artificial?
After you have shared your findings with your group and the class, answer the
following question in your learning journal.
 How have film techniques created meaning in this scene? In your
response include specific techniques and examples. Try to include ideas
you gained from other students as well as your own.
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 4 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 5
Navigating Chicken Run CD-ROM
Below is a map of the main sections of the Chicken Run CD-ROM that
you will need to look at. After you have viewed each section of the CDROM you are to complete the mindmap of what you have learned.
When you have completed each mindmap, create your own visual
representation of the steps you will need to undertake in order to
successfully create your own animation.
Film
language
Creating a
character
Mindmap
on the
following
sheet
Mindmap on
the following
sheet
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
Use this
section to
complete
your
glossary
Chicken Run CD-ROM
To camera
Storyboard
to script
November 2004
Page 5 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Mindmap on
the following
sheet
Worksheet 5a
Creating a character
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 6 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 5b
Storyboard to script
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 7 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 5c
To camera
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 8 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Worksheet 6
Learning log
Throughout the process of making your animated film you are to keep a learning
log. Here are some questions to guide you in your writing. You must write in your
learning log at the end of each lesson or for homework on the same day as the
lesson.
What did I learn today about making a short animated film?
What film language did we use today in our discussions?
What successes did the group achieve in the film-making process?
What did I contribute to the group’s success today?
What problems did we encounter?
How are we planning to solve these problems?
What did I enjoy most about today’s English lesson?
How effectively did the group work together/
Did we all contribute equally to the group’s efforts today?
How effectively did I carry out my responsibilities in the group today?
What do I/we want to achieve in the next English lesson?
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 9 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au
Appendix
Notes for using the Chicken Run CD-ROM – teacher guide
This CD should autorun on your computer, you just need to select the
language you wish it to run in.
1. The introduction enables students to play a trailer from the film.
2. The next screen is the main menu which provides the following options:
a) Creating a character
b) To camera
c) Film language
d) Storyboard to script
e) Campaigns
f) Study guide
g) Internet links
h) Help.
When you select a link your other options continue to be available and are listed
on the left of the screen.
a) Creating a character - goes through the role of the lead animator and the
steps involved in the design of characters. If you click on either Mrs
Tweedy or Bunty the process is presented using the steps involved in the
creation of that character, including the use of lip-sync and creating
voices.
b) To camera – shows how a scene is created including storyboarding, the
blocking rehearsal, filming the final scene and adding dialogue.
Students also have the opportunity to re-do a storyboard to match an
accompanying dialogue from the film.
c) Film language – provides students with explanations of shot type and an
explanation of the effect, with examples from the film. This shows students
how a sequence is constructed, allows students to construct their own
sequence and provides the opportunity for them to edit a scene. They can
choose shots to hide and then discuss how it changes the impression of
the scene.
d) Storyboard to script – A sample script from the film is provided which can
be printed. Students can then construct their own storyboard from the
script. This section also shows a comparison between the storyboard and
the final film.
e) Campaigns – This shows students how a film is promoted and provides
the opportunity to design a Chicken Run poster.
f) The study guide will also provide teachers with other ideas and is a useful
resource.
NSW Department of Education and Training
Curriculum K-12 Directorate
November 2004
Page 10 of 10
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au