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I Do: Love and Marriage in 19th Century Canada
Educational Resources
Activity 4 - The 19th Century Goes to the Silver Screen
Purpose: In trying to address different learning styles, this activity asks students to study the world of the I Do: Love and Marriage in 19th-Century Canada website in order to create a screenplay. Depending on time and technological resources, this project can be done as a full-fledged movie shoot with a camera, or performed as a skit in front of the class. Regardless of the method, it is important that students attempt to capture the language and nuances of the I Do: Love and Marriage in 19th-Century Canada website.
Procedure:
1. Students can first visit www.imsdb.com/ to view sample scripts and examine proper script format, if that is what the teacher desires. Scripts are free to view and include many contemporary movies.
2. In groups, students should begin by writing the script for their movie production. All scripts need to take into account the language and situations of the I Do: Love and Marriage in 19th-Century Canada website and may also be supplemented by using findings from Activity 1.
3. Students can now start making their own storyboard for their script. A storyboard is a process whereby the shots and action of the movie are quickly sketched out on paper so that each shot is known before students begin filming. Templates can be found at www.xinsight.ca/tools/storyboard.html. The storyboarding process is similar to making a comic, although the artwork tends to consist of stick figures rather than elaborate drawings (although big budget films are known for having detailed storyboards).
4. Once students have completed the above steps, they can begin to shoot their movie. Students can attempt to find adequate costuming, but as it could be difficult to recreate the 19th century, it is not necessary. Instead, attention should be paid to capturing the feeling of the situations that men and women would have found themselves in during the 19th century while contemplating love and marriage.
