The Nightmare before Christmas

In a 200+ word post, answer one of the following questions in a post to your blog.

1. Even though the movie isn't directed by Tim Burton, should it still be called a Tim Burton movie?  On the one hand, it was his original story idea and has some of the same elements as other Burton movies, but on the other hand, his involvement in the day-to-day decisions and work was limited if not in fact nonexistent.

2. Here are the themes suggested by your class for both Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare before Christmas:

Outsiders can find happiness but will never be deemed as normal.
In your community, be yourself because you're more accepted that way.
Be yourself.
The grass isn't greener on the other side.
Society can only take one change at a time.
It's better to just be yourself than to change.
People that don't fit into mainstream society are better left outside of society.

Using examples from the movies and your personal experience, defend one of these themes or another theme of your own choice.

3. One of Tim Burton's signature design concepts is to make the grotesque cute, charming, or appealing. What are examples of ways that concept shows up in The Nightmare before Christmas? HOW does Burton make it so appealing?

4. Christmas has shown up both of the Burton movies we've watched. What do you think Burton believes about Christmas? What message does he give audiences in his films?

5. How does knowing what goes into making this film enhance your appreciation of it? Is that true of all art forms - for example, does knowing how to play guitar make you appreciate a good guitar solo better than someone who doesn't play the instrument?

6. Choose your own topic.

This post is due by 11/10/12.

Edward Scissorhands

In a 200+ post on your blog, write about one of the following question threads:

1. If we consider Edward as an artist, what does the film say about the role of the artist in society? Where does the stand in relationship to the rest of the society? How does the artist benefit from society? How does society benefit from artists?

2. Edward Scissorhands has several references to religion -- angels, pierced hands, Christmas, and one religious neighbor. What is Burton saying about religion? How does the town relate to it? What does it mean that Edward is created by a person rather than born from a mother?

3. Tim Burton has a distinct visual style - oversized and anthropomorphic (looking like people) set pieces, unique camera angles (off eye-level), and "grotesque" looking people. How does this movie illustrate that style.

4. Since Tim Burton's background is in animation, he pays special attention to color. Black and white figure prominently in some of the main characters' wardrobe, but colors are striking in other places as well, such as the exterior of the houses and the wardrobe of the townspeople. What do the colors mean in the movie?

5. Peg is also a bit of an outcast. What are the female gender roles in this town, and how does Peg live outside of them? Since this is supposed to be a modern-day fairy-tale, are these roles accurate? If so, how? If not, then why does Burton show them in this way?

6. Could there have been a happy ending for Edward? Assume that saving Kevin (Kim's brother) made Edward a hero and got rid of Jim. Where does Edward's life go from there? Could he have gotten the girl and had a "normal" life?

7. Helena Bonham-Carter has said that Tim Burton makes movies about Tim Burton. After doing some research into Burton's films and biography, how true do you think that is?

8. Write your own topic.

This post should be completed by 11:59pm 10/26/12.

Remember as you write the post that you are writing for the worldwide web, not just for your class and me. So don't begin the post by copying and pasting the question. Write as though this is really a topic that interests you and you're sharing your thoughts with the world. Begin, perhaps, by giving us a little context. For example:

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, one of his earliest films, already displays some of the distinctive elements that would become his trademark.

Or to put it into less formal terms:

Have you ever noticed that a lot of Tim Burton's movies look alike? I just watched Edward Scissorhands, and I thought, "Whoa! I've seen that before."

Assume that your audience is interested in your topic, and while they might have seen the movie before, they need a little refresher about the plot of the movie or the characters or the scenes or whatever it is you're discussing. Use IMDB to find quotations, character names, or plot refresher points.

Grades

Some of you may be looking at PowerSchool with some shock right now. I just entered all the grades I had in a big batch. And there are still more coming that will have an effect on your grade (for better or for worse). There is still a chance to revise and turn in work to improve your grade, but you must follow these instructions:

1. All submissions and revisions are due by 11:59pm Friday, October 19, 2012. THIS IS A FIRM DEADLINE. NO LATE WORK AFTER THIS TIME.

2. The large research project we have been working on falls under this deadline as well.

3. You must tell me to look for these new submissions (not including the research project) and revisions by posting a reply/comment to this post. IF YOU DO NOT MAKE THE REPLY, I WILL NOT LOOK FOR YOUR NEW WORK. See below for more details

4. One large element many people missed was replying to other people's blogs. You were required to to make a total of three intelligent and respectful replies to three different people's blogs. This assignment took up about half of the first page of the grading sheet. If you choose to make this up, you must tell me (in a reply to this post) the name of the classmate and the movie you made a comment on.

5. If you revise a post in your blog, you must tell me which post you revised by replying to this post.

6. If you add a post to your blog, you must tell me that a new post was added in a comment to this post.

7. You must make sure that your name appears in the comment or reply.

8. If you have any questions, you can ask me in person, but if you tell me about improvements on your blog without also noting them in a reply to this blog post, you will not receive credit for them.

The grades for this class right now form an almost perfect U curve if plotted graphically: 12 As, 3 Bs, 0 Cs, 2 Ds, and 11 Fs. The biggest thing bringing people's grades down are not having the blogs updated with all of the required posts. This is your chance to change the look of that graph.

The Big One (Or the Biggest So Far)

 In a 1,000+ word post to your blog, delve deeply into one of the following topics:

1.      How does obsession figure into the films that we have watched so far?

·         Possible roads of inquiry could include the following: What is the line between obsession and commitment? Which characters have been “obsessed”? What good has come of their obsession? Can anything good come out of obsession? Are the trade-offs worth the obsession? What is the clinical definition of obsession? Do any characters meet those criteria? What real-life figures have been obsessed? Has their obsession delivered any lasting good?

2.      How accurate is the portrayal of Hollywood and the theatre circuit in Singin’ in the Rain?

·         Possible roads of inquiry could include the following: Histories of the transition from silent films to talkies. Descriptions of Hollywood relationships on and off the screen. Histories of theatre circuits. Biographies of the filmmakers and actors involved in the film.

3.      How should we view High Noon today – as a liberal or a conservative work of art?

·         Possible roads of inquiry could include the following: Current events reporting. News analysis and commentary. American history.

4.      In what ways does a particular film combine the visual and performing arts to create a lasting and memorable scene?

·         Possible roads of inquiry could include the following: Cinematography, sound design, music scoring, performances, and lighting. Film reviews. Critical film studies. Film blogs.

5.      What distinguishes a Christopher Nolan film from his peers’ films?

·         Possible roads of inquiry could include the following: Similarities in theme, structure, cinematography. Film reviews. Critical film studies. Film blogs.

6.      Choose a topic of your own.

Include three multimedia items (e.g. audio, video, audio-video, still image, slide show)

·         Sources must be appear in text of the blog (normally just the film title)

·         Items must be active

·         Clear labeling of what we need to look for and where we should look for it must be apparent

Include three research sources (images and clips from the movie do not count)

·         Credible, reliable sources

·         Source appears in text of the sentence

·         Hyperlink to research is active

           

Include all four voices

·         Quotations or direct, specific reference to events in the film(s)

·         Your interpretation of what the author means to say OR quotations from the filmmakers in an interview OR quotations/insights found on director’s commentaries

·         What you think about the theme, characters’ decisions, contrast between the two films

·         The insights of film critics, experts in related fields, news reports, reference materials, etc.

Projected Timeline

T 10/2 – Research

Th 10/4 – Research/ Writing

M 10/8 – Writing

T 10/9 – Writing/Editing

Th 10/11 – Informal Presentations/Blog Completion

A more detailed grading rubric is forthcoming.