Lesson plan:

Special effects

Background: Special effects were developed in the early days of cinema for war films. Battle scenes, fires and explosions were created through special effects. In the 1950s special effects were increasingly used in science fiction films. Some standard special effects are miniature sets (eg a toy boat in a pond can be shot to look like a battleship at sea); matte paintings (where backgounds are created by an artist and the action shot in front of the art work), model figures (King Kong was a model) and stop action shooting (in which part of the action is filmed, the camera stopped and the figures put into a new position before shooting is resumed). For Journey to the Centre of the Earth live iguanas, about 60cm long, with specially made sails glued to their backs were used to portray prehistoric monsters. In Jurassic Park the dinosaurs were computerised models.

As a class

View the episode then replay the scene in which Pete goes for a swim. Identify with the class the "impossible" actions performed by Pete (for example he leaps from the water, does somersaults above the water, dives an enormous distance.)

Class discussion

Discuss and list the possible ways in which this sequence might have been created - use of a swimming pool, use of a trampoline reverse action filming, selective editing.

Create your own special FX

Class activity

Using a video camera experiment with creating some special visual effects in the classroom. A simple exercise is to create the disappearing students by filming a group of students standing perfectly still. Stop the camera and remove one student (use the camera trigger to stop taping and do not turn off the power). Start taping again for twenty seconds, stop and remove another student. Continue in this way until all the students are gone. Replay the footage and watch the effect.

As a whole class

View and examine the frog race sequence. In this section the children mimic a number of the conventions of live television race commentary. Identify the conventions used in the sequence under the headings of shot types, narration and character appearance. (Point out the use of live interviews, the close-ups to camera, the race caller's use of cliches and the pace of his delivery and his bizarre appearance.)

In small groups

The class can further explore these conventions by filming a bicycle (or other) race and creating their own race callers.

Competition and individuality

Class discussion

This episode raises issues about competition and individuality. How is Pete different from the other boys? In what ways would he need to be more like them?

Pete's individuality is one of his most attractive features. Discuss the problems of being an individual in modern society.

See:
Wilkie, B (1989) The Techniques of Special Effects in Television Focal Press, London for ideas about special effects that can be used in the classroom.