Ms. Dominico’s Year 12 VCE English Class

1. Think of an occasion where other people are in attendance. (weddings, funerals, fights, demonstrations/rallies, Christmas dinner, reunions, staff meetings, concerts…)

2. What do you see? (a character in the film? A character who meets a character in the film? An outside viewer? A dog? Someone trying to persuade another?)

 3. Subtext–is there anything going on beneath the surface? (eg. man getting cranky? etc.)

4. What has led up to this event? (what happened the day before? Have these people spoken before? What previous experience has created your character’s mood?)

5. What sounds are happening in this scene? (is there an incessant drill in the background that is giving the character a headache? Can the character hear Stan and Pat’s voice in the background—or someone they cannot identify? Is there suggestive music on the radio?)

6. What smells are in this scene? (perfume? Manure? Dirty dishes? Grass trimmings?)

 7. Describe who, or what, does the character remind you of? Give examples (a grade 4 teacher? a mammoth? A clown?)

8. Interior Thoughts–what’s going on in your head or other people’s heads

  9. What was the event like through someone else’s eyes?

10. How do people in this scene feel? Why?

11. What nationality is this character? Where are their parents from?

12. etc.

** These ideas were generated in a PD Session with author/teacher Michael Hyde. They are in my words.