Shakespeare and the Silver Screen at CRLS

Shakespeare and the Silver Screen at CRLS
Posted on 02/03/2016
Although it has been 400 years since his death, William Shakespeare is alive and well in Annie Wilhelmy’s Honors English 10 class. Together with Instructional Technology Specialist Nicole Hart, 10th grade students participate in Shakespeare Festival after reading The Bard’s famous tragedy, Macbeth.

ShakespeareThe Shakespeare Festival is the culmination of Annie Wilhelmy’s course, where students direct, produce, and edit creative adaptations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Students choose their favorite scene from the drama, then cast themselves as characters ranging from the large roles of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, or Banquo to small roles of servants, guards, or the murderers who mark the decline of our tragic hero. While the setting may change from the time of Scottish nobility, Shakespeare’s words remain the same, but breathe new life with each group’s fresh interpretation.

ShakespeareOver the past 4 years, Annie Wilhelmy and Nicole Hart have been impressed by the students’ devotion to raising the bar of creativity in each project.  Students have adapted Macbeth to fit genres of Horror and Teen Movies, and also put a personal spin on themes of gang wars, 1960s flower children, a parody of The Wizard of Oz, or FBI thrillers. Students justify and explain their genre and theme choices, connecting the themes of Macbeth to new and exciting settings and character archetypes. Students also create set and costume boards that reflect their ideal multi-million dollar film, then translate these ideas into more realistic and budget-friendly options.

Students transform pots and pans into smoking cauldrons or baby dolls into the Apparitions with the help of the array of special effects in iMovie.  

ShakespeareNicole Hart works closely with each group as they storyboard their vision, shoot their footage, compose original music, assemble shots into a fluid storyline, and synthesize their hard work into award-worthy video projects. Students can choose to use their own video production equipment, or equipment provided by the TRC. This semester, a few groups experimented with filming their projects by using SchoolCam, the free camera app that connects to students’ CPS Google Drive accounts, and WeVideo, an online editing tool that integrates Google Drive.  

While the projects are incredibly labor-intensive, Annie Wilhelmy has noticed that as more students participate in The Shakespeare Festival, incoming students begin thinking about their Macbeth adaptations well before the class reads the play. It is a way for students to flex their creative muscles and work collaboratively in ways that showcase individual talents and strengths. The Shakespeare Festival is the best bittersweet goodbye to a semester of hard work and creativity.  
Check out some examples below:

Sample 1 - Macbeth Movie Trailer
Sample 2 - Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1
Sample 3 - Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1
Sample 4 - Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1
Sample 5 - Macbeth Act 4, Scene 3
Sample 6 - Macbeth Act 4, Scene 4
Sample 7 - Macbeth Scenes 3.4 and 4.1
Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.