Macbeth Films 2005

Product of

Mr. Seeley & Mrs. Blatti's Sophomore English Classes, Cary Academy

 


The Assignment

Section A     Section B     Section D     Section E     Section F     Section G

 


Winner of the Tartan Award for Best Picture (Mr. Seeley's Classes):

Thou Shall be Thug
(Ramy El-Refai, Mark Forest, Dennis Gugger, Lindsey McLaurin, Julie Pechanek)

 

 

 

The Assignment

OVERVIEW:

With your group, recast and redesign a portion of a scene from Macbeth.  Your version should offer a distinct, unified interpretation of the play—or, at least, the partial scene you are constructing.  You may take a comedic slant or a serious tone, but you must keep the version G rated.  Anything inappropriate automatically earns you a failing grade.  Your film version must last between 3 and 5 minutes, including the credits but excluding the bloopers segment, if you choose to include one.  You will lose points for time under or over the stated limits.

You may not edit Shakespeare’s original words, though you may excise small portions.  You should memorize lines, using cue cards only as a last resort.  (Your viewer can tell!)  You should use costumes, props, actions, and objects appropriate for your vision of the play.  Your costumes and props must be present on November 29.

While this project relies on group work, I will also include an individual component to the grade.  If I see you working inconsistently, you will lose points.

I will assign groups.  If you want to work with a particular person, let me know, and I will take your request into consideration.

 

STEPS:

We will begin filming on the second day back from break.  To prepare yourself and your group, please follow these steps. 

 

Step 1.  You and your group should decide on a partial scene.  List possibilities, and then discuss the benefits of each one.  (in class 11/8)

Step 2.  Once you’ve decided on a scene, brainstorm for approaches.  Do you want to show the three witches interacting with Macbeth?  Is the scene humorous or serious?  Are you setting Macbeth in the American West?  (in class 11/8)

Step 3.  Choose your approach.  List the different costumes, objects, actions, and sounds that are appropriate for your view of the play.  (in class 11/9 or 11/10)

Step 4.  Your group should write a detailed description of the group’s approach:  include all the material that you’ve discussed in Step 3.  (due 11/28)

Step 5.  Now, create a story board.  In a series of cartoon panels, sketch the scenes that are absolutely necessary to communicate your vision of the play.  Include the important actions, objects, and costumes.  Also, consider camera angles.  (due 11/28)

Step 6.  To ensure an effective project, assign all roles in written approach.  Think about the director, actors, set and costume designers, camera people, and sound people.  (due 11/28)

Step 7.  Begin filming, using the materials from Steps 4 and 5 as your guidelines.  (11/29)

 

GRADE:

The grade will be split between 2 categories:  content, accounting for 60%, and technical, accounting for 40%.

CONTENT details:

To earn full content credit, complete the following: 

1.      Type and hand in a written approach by Monday, November 28th—5 points.

2.      Draw and hand in a storyboard by Monday, November 28th—5 points.

3.      During the three weeks of the project, ALWAYS use your time intelligently.  If at any point I have to remind you to work, your individual grade will drop.  If you force others in your group to do your work, your grade will drop—15 points.

4.      While I don’t expect professional acting, I do expect an attempt to learn lines, use appropriate body language, and employ necessary facial expressions.—10 points.

5.      The final product must last between 3 and 5 minutes; it must demonstrate a vision of the scene, and it must include details that work toward that vision.—25 points.

 

Technical details:

These videos are going to end up as streaming files on the web and as stand-alone videos that will be placed on tape. Since most of the students have had extensive video and audio training, the technical standards for the videos will be high and special attention should be paid to the placement of mics and the quality of the audio during filming.

You must include the following technical materials for the video.

6.      Video will contain a title and credits and 5 seconds of black at the end—5 points.

7.      Fade in and fade out of audio/video at beginning and end (if appropriate)—5 points.

8.      Motion filter applied to one or more still images or videos and at least one transition between video clips—5 points.

9.      At least 30 seconds of music—5 points.

10.  Audio will be easy to understand, without noise, and of constant volume—5 points.

11.  All files used in Premiere must be on local E:/ drive. Premiere project file will be named Seeley/Blatti with the group number (e.g. SeeleyE2.ppj)—5 points.

12.  Each group will make both an .avi file and a streaming .wmv file. The .avi file and .wmv file will be named Seeley/Blatti with the group number (e.g. BlattiA2.ppj).—5 points.

13.  Link on each student’s website to the video—5 points.

 

If you have any questions, please ask.  Otherwise, let loose your imagination.

 

Back to the Top.

 

 

Section A

Macbeth: Divide & Conquor  (II.i-ii)
   
Rohit Agarwal, Stuart Gordon, Joe Harris, Taylor Meyer

Get to Be King or Die Trying  (II.ii)
   
Liz Hermann, Drew Killmer, Andrew Reuben, Douglas Webb

Sleepless in Scotland  (II.i-ii)
    Francesca Boone, Lori Fisher, Angela Hayes, Ayla Koc, Johnetta Overton

Supernatural Soliciting  (I.iii)
    Hart Nunnally, Hannah Ritter Paulin, Scott Stanton, Wyatt Williams

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Section B

Death by the Sword  (III.iii)
   
Rodrigo Haragutchi, Michelle Luo, John Nelson, Ory O'Connell, Diana Woodall

The Prophecy  (I.iii)
   
Corey Lerch, Kira Lumsden, Matt Nemetz, Amy Nunez, Robert Thorstad

How to Snuff Lady Macduff  (IV.ii)
   
Aubrey Hamilton, Lex-Jordan Ibegbu, Marina Lee, Nathan Nordin, Hill Winstead

Death to Macbeth: The Sadness of Young Siward  (V.ix)
   
Colin Everett, Adam Mobarek, Shane Orton, Nicole Rothman

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Section D

Thou Shall Be Thug  (III.i,iii)
   
Ramy El-Refai, Mark Forest, Dennis Gugger, Lindsey McLaurin, Julie Pechanek

Mission: Macbeth  (III.iii)
   
Julie Cooper, Natalie Smith, David Thorstad, Ian Wilson

Bloody Murder  (IV.ii)
   
Brice Barnett, Savannah Crockett, Yasmeen Mansour, Alyssa Schwartz

Episode III.iii:  The Fall of Banquo  (III.iii)
    Anirudh Kota, Ben Schaberg, Christina Wieand, Rachel Yip

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Section E

The Death of Macbeth  (V.vi-ix)
   
Natasha Gumber, Kunal Patel, Camryn Ripley, Brad Weaver, Jordan Winn

Macbeth's Inevitable End  (V.vii-ix)
   
Jackie Humphrey, Rashidi Mullins, Alexander Stuart, Whitney Weeks

Lady Macduff's Plight  (IV.ii)
   
Arjun Chandran, Max Flescher, Mazin Khoury, Charlotte Morgan

A Walk with Banquo  (III.iii)
   
Hunter Bryson, Anna Morris, Jackie Lee, Dan Uchiyama

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Section F

Habeas Corpus  (I.vii-viii)
   
Erik Burde, Ben Goldhaber, Lanie Mason, Anne Osoro, Rachel Park

The Porter Scene  (II.iii)
   
Cameron Bumgarner, Ashley Gosney, Vann Mitchell, Chris Riley

Hecate's Servants  (I.iii)
   
Elizabeth Atkins, Clayton Gladieux, Julia Niemi, T'Sani Watson

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Section G

Macbeth Meets the Witches  (I.iii)
   
Kelly Bolick, Kaitlin Johnson, Kim Ray, Amanda Walker

Two-Faced  (I.v-vi)
   
Jared Carson, Mark Easley, Sarah Hussey

Witches  (IV.i)
   
Tiffany Alexy, Katherine Ernst, Blythe Friedman, Melissa Hillman

Tragedy:  Episode 12  (V.i)
   
Rame Coppedge, Katie Holt, Max Dancik

Macbeth in Action  (remix of multiple scenes)
   
Danielle Curran, Cameron Lee, Max Hamilton, Rob Mann, Alex Schumann

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