Education resource This education resource is designed to work in conjunction with the accompanying PowerPoint, available to download from www.intofilm.org Working Title (2005) All rights reserved. intofilm.org Into Film is a trading name of Film Nation UK. Registered Charity number 1154030.
Teachers notes Pride and Prejudice Director: Joe Wright 2005 UK/France/USA 127 mins U (This film has one use of mild bad language) What s this film about? What the critics think Property of Working Title Films 2005. All rights reserved. This period adaptation of Jane Austen s classic novel features a glittering cast, with Keira Knightley in the lead. The action begins with concerned mother Mrs. Bennet seeking husbands for her five daughters in the hope of securing their future happiness. One of her girls objects to the match-making frenzy: witty, intelligent Elizabeth. Having met wealthy, aloof bachelor Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth seems more interested in provoking his pride than encouraging his advances. As family dramas unfold and secrets are revealed, circumstances throw the pair together. But will Darcy s pride and Elizabeth s prejudice continue to spoil any chance of romance? Angie Errigo, Empire a fresh, realistic approach, earthy settings and romantic suspense and in Keira Knightley s superb Lizzy, a heroine for all time. A rethink on characterisations goes back faithfully to Austen s social comedy intofilm.org 2
Teachers notes About Reel to Real This unique teaching resource is part of the Reel to Real programme, a partnership between Into Film and the Victoria and Albert Museum s Learning Department. Reel to Real harnesses the immersive, visual nature of film, as well as the wealth of the V&A s world-renowned collections of art, design and performance, to give students new and exciting insights into key English curriculum texts at ages 11-18. For more about this programme and other quality teaching resources in this series, visit the Into Film website. Curriculum focus These film-focused activities are designed for use in English literature and related subjects at ages 11-18. They are particularly suitable for supporting the study of Pride and Prejudice at GCSE and equivalent with clear links to Assessment Objectives, for example respond to texts critically and imaginatively ; make comparisons and explain links between texts ; relate texts to their social, cultural and historical contexts. This resource may also be used to support students approaching the novel at Advanced and Higher levels. Why use film to support literature? This resource helps bring the text to life for students, allowing them to explore characters, themes and context using clips and still images from the film and contextual details from the V&A s collections to enrich the learning experience. Before starting these activities, we recommend that students have a solid understanding of the novel. By using these materials, you will develop and extend their understanding through analysis, creative writing and filmmaking activities. These flexible materials can be used in their entirety or in part, and can be adapted to suit your students needs. The resource comprises activity outlines, with supporting worksheets for students, and is designed to be used in conjunction with the accompanying PowerPoint presentation, which features clips and images and is downloadable from the Into Film website. We recommend viewing the feature film in full once you ve completed the activities. For advice on filmmaking and on film language, use the Into Film Guide to Filmmaking. Links to other websites are included where they are educationally relevant; we recommend you check these links before sharing with students, as we are not responsible for the content, which may change, move or become unavailable without our knowledge. What you will need You will find a DVD copy of the film helpful in the classroom and timecodes are referenced in this resource to help you find key moments. You will also need an internet connection and IWB or similar. Students will need copies of the novel and printed copies of the worksheets. Note that the Focus on mise-en-scène cards are designed to be cut up into individual cards. Accessing film You can order Joe Wright s film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for free through your Into Film Club account. For more information on the film, please visit www.intofilm.org/films. Joining Into Film and starting a film club will give you and your school access to thousands of fantastic films to watch, as well as opportunities for members to develop skills in reporting, programming and reviewing. Clubs are also offered support in filmmaking, putting youth voice at the very heart of the scheme. Through participating in a film club, children and young people can engage directly with members of the film industry, discover career opportunities and learn how to pursue them. Not yet Into Film? Joining is easy and free go to the website to find out more and register: www.intofilm.org/clubs or email support@intofilm.org. intofilm.org 3
Activity outlines Introductory activities Summary: In this section, students consider the process of adapting a novel into a screenplay, explore how the trailer for the film adaptation sets up expectations and view V&A period objects as stimuli for a consideration of cultural context. Writing for the screen 1. Show students the Behind The Scenes interview with screenwriter Deborah Moggach, who produced the screenplay for the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, on slide 2 of the presentation (play from the beginning to timecode 05:35). 2. Ask students to discuss the following: What does Moggach say about making the novel relevant to a modern audience? What does she say about the collaborative process of screenwriting? What does this job seem to involve and would your students find it interesting? Extension: Students research the critical reception to the film on its release (they could explore film review sites, or look at reviews on DVD sales sites for example). What kinds of responses can they find? Did critics and audiences seem to agree about the film? Introducing the action 1. Find the trailer for the film adaption online (on a site such as imdb.com) or on the DVD (see the main menu). Ask pairs to discuss: What parts of the story are shown? What sort of audience is this trailer appealing to? How can you tell? 2. Now arrange students into small groups and if possible, give each group access to the trailer on a tablet, or play the trailer again at the front of the room. Based on this second viewing, groups should comment on how the following elements are presented in the trailer: Character Setting Sound and music Camera 3. Feedback comments, then challenge students to sum up their expectations for the film adaptation in a single sentence. Extension: Challenge students to think of ways of using the trailer as a revision tool for an exam on Pride and Prejudice. Ideas may include remembering key quotes, spotting themes, playing character bingo, spot-the-difference between the novel/film etc. intofilm.org 4
Activity outlines Status symbols Many of the novel s characters are concerned with how they appear to others. In this adaptation, as in the novel, characters social status may be indicated by their clothes, their homes (interiors and exteriors), the way they dance, or even the way they travel, as the wealthy had larger, more comfortable coaches and better horses to transport them. 1. Show students images from the V&A s collection on slides 3-8 of the presentation. 2. Use these as a basis for the following discussion questions: Which characters might students associate the different images with? Which of these things are still status symbols, or have modern equivalents, today? Are there any modern status symbols that didn t exist at the time the novel was written that you might introduce in a contemporary film adaptation? Extension: Wickham has a fairly low social standing but as a soldier, his uniform makes this harder to detect and his appearance and manner make other characters warm to him. Challenge students to think of examples from other films they have seen in which characters get away with it because of their appearance. What is Austen saying about society in her day through Wickham s character? Is this still relevant to today s society? intofilm.org 5
Activity outlines Clip-focused activities Summary: This section revisits students knowledge of character and events, exploring social status, gender and marriage in the novel, film and early 19th century England using key moments in the film adaptation as the basis for a range of classroom activity. Introducing the Bennets 1. Play the first part of the clip Introducing the Bennets on slide 9 of the Pride and Prejudice presentation. This is taken from the opening minutes of the film and offers a visual introduction to the Bennet family. 2. Ask students what they notice about this clip (this is mostly a long take the camera moves around the scene in a long, unbroken shot until Lizzy goes inside. It is also virtually dialogue-free, so much of what we learn is conveyed visually). 3. Now play the rest of the clip. Ask students to identify key characters and comment on costumes and setting: What first impressions do they have of the characters and setting? Is this how they imagined the Bennet family? 4. In what ways are the opening of the film and of the novel similar or different? What reasons can students identify for these similarities and differences? Extension: Students look at Chapter 1 of the novel to locate the dialogue used in this clip. They create their own treatment for the rest of the chapter: an outline of how they would present the dialogue and narrative on screen. They could highlight and annotate photocopies of the text or work on digital versions. They should include notes on what dialogue they will keep and what they will cut, how they will use setting, props and character and any notes on music or editing. If they wish, they may change the setting entirely from the version they saw in the clip. Challenge students further by getting them to plan their own long take within this section a sequence without any cuts to different camera angles, as seen in the opening sequence of the 2005 film by using the Long Take Challenge resource available on the Into Film website. Polite society? Jane Austen s novels explore social customs and manners of the upper classes at the start of the 19th century. Darcy s behaviour in the early part of the story, alongside Wickham s influence, make Elizabeth prejudiced against him, believing him to be arrogant because of his wealth. 1. Explain that whilst the novel uses dialogue and narration to convey character, the filmmakers use film language performance, props and location, costume and make-up, music and editing to present characters to the audience. 2. Show students the clip At the Netherfield ball, where Lizzy agrees to dance with Darcy, on slide 10 of the Pride and Prejudice presentation (timecode 00:36:51-00:39:54). 3. What techniques has the director used to create atmosphere and to focus on the two characters here? Ask students what they notice towards the end of the clip (for a few moments, all the other dancers disappear leaving only Darcy and Elizabeth). intofilm.org 6
Activity outlines 4. In small groups, ask students to discuss why they think the director has filmed the scene in this way, and what effect they think it is meant to have on the audience (eg showing the contrast of private dialogue and public occasion see the DVD extra The Politics of Dating for more on courtship and couples). 5. Now show the clip At Rosings on slide 11, based on chapter 31 (timecode 00:59:58 01:02:16). Students look out for signs of the custom and manners of the time. How were men and women expected to dress and to behave? 6. In what ways do Darcy and Elizabeth break away from these expectations? 7. Despite their wealth and social position, some of the highest-ranking characters in Pride and Prejudice are far from polite. Explore the behaviour of Catherine De Bourgh towards Elizabeth, or the Bingley sisters towards the Bennets in the novel (for example, DVD timecodes 00:16:37-00:17:00, 00:19:18 00:22:20 and the first few minutes of DVD chapter 4). Use these moments as the basis for PEE paragraphs, analysing example passages from the text and comparing this with how these moments are depicted in the film version. Extension: Students work in small groups to produce a filmed or illustrated guide code of conduct for either men or women on showing how to behave in polite society in Jane Austen s time, using examples from the novel and the film. They could then create one for the present day as a comparison. Review these as a class. How much has society changed? Marriage For the unmarried women of the novel, finding a husband and making a good match is the key to their future security. Women of this class were not able to have jobs, and they could not live without an income for women who did not have any inheritance of their own, this money would have to come from their husband. Show students the satirical cartoon An elegant establishment for young ladies on slide 12 to introduce discussion around this aspect of the novel s context. Suitor number 1: Mr. Collins 1. Ask students to share their opinions of Mr. Collins, including any details from the text that have contributed to these views. 2. Show the clip Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth on slide 13 of the Pride and Prejudice presentation, adapted from chapter 19 of the novel (timecode 00:45:24 00:47:40). In the clip, what reasons does Mr. Collins give for wanting to marry Lizzy? What reasons does she give for refusing? How would students describe the mood in this clip? 3. Now show students the clip Charlotte and Elizabeth on slide 14, where Charlotte reveals she has agreed to marry Mr Collins (00:52.42 00:53:41). What does this moment in the film tell us about both of these characters? What has been changed from the version in chapter 22 of the novel? intofilm.org 7
Activity outlines Starting with the Charlotte Lucas/Mr. Collins strand of the narrative, what can we establish about how the society in which this story takes place is different from society in the UK today? Extension: Develop this into a class debate, comparing the world of Jane Austen s novel to contemporary society, with the motion The success of modern film adaptations of Jane Austen s novels demonstrates that contemporary English society is not so fundamentally different from that of 200 years ago. The class should be divided into two for the debate: half will take part as themselves, ie modern teenagers; and the other half will take part in role as a character from the novel. First they should prepare some ideas: if they are in role, they can use textual evidence and online research; if they are talking about society today, they should use evidence from their own experiences and online research to support their case. To help get the debate going, seat an expert panel at the front of the class. This should be made up of a mix of characters in role and students representing contemporary society. Suitor Number 2: Mr. Darcy 1. Remind students of the two proposals Darcy makes to Elizabeth, and her reaction (chapters 34 and 58). What sort of setting might students expect to see in the film version for these two scenes? 2. Show the clip Darcy s first proposal on slide 15 of the Pride and Prejudice presentation, which takes place during a rain storm (DVD timecode 01:05:48 01:08:15). Groups analyse the scene, using the mise-en-scène prompt cards on pages 11-12. You could guide students to discuss the weather and consider links to techniques of pathetic fallacy in literature. 3. Now compare this clip with Darcy s second proposal on slide 16, which is set at sunrise (DVD timecode 01:49:30 01:51:11), again analysing elements of setting and film language. After analysing the mise-en-scène this time, students should discuss this question: How does the filmmaker signal the differences between these two scenes through choices in the mise-en-scène, and the symbolism of the setting in each one? 4. Challenge small groups to find another key moment in the novel and consider how the mise-en-scène (on-screen choices about setting, location, even the weather) can impact on the audience s response. First, ask students to write a short description of their chosen scene. Then, ask them to select two alternative settings for it (these may be interior or exterior) and choose images online to match their setting ideas. You could project the images they choose on the board along with their summaries. Then, as a class, discuss how different settings would influence the effect of the scene on the audience. Extension: Use these on-screen images as backgrounds for tableaux: groups take on the role of the characters in this scene and position themselves in front of the image, using body language, facial expression and proximity to other characters to demonstrate key points about themselves in this scene. You can then invite individuals to provide an analytical commentary on the tableaux presented. intofilm.org 8
Activity outlines Taking it further Summary: These activities challenge critical and creative thinking skills whilst revising students knowledge of the novel, offering a mix of writing and performance along with options to record audio and video responses. Family drama: genre swap activity The Bennet family experiences its fair share of drama in the course of the novel. A modern equivalent to this might be found in the soap opera or the sitcom, where storylines feature extended families. 1. Using the Genre swap worksheet on page 13, students choose a modern drama or comedy show that they are familiar with. They then adapt a section of dialogue from the novel in the style of their chosen show. 2. They should show their knowledge of the novel by choosing a passage of dialogue that features several members of the Bennet family, reflecting the family s dynamics (eg some characters embarrassing others) then create a performance that highlights key aspects of character and relationships from Austen in the style of their chosen show. 3. These performances should be scripted, rehearsed and could be recorded in the style of the chosen show. Changing cultural context Bride and Prejudice (2004, 12) takes elements of Jane Austen s original story and changes the time and place in which it is set. Show students the trailer (available on imdb.com) as inspiration for this creative challenge: 1. Arrange students in small groups to create a new concept for Pride and Prejudice that takes aspects of the original narrative, characters and themes and moves them to a different time and/or place. 2. Students must produce a film pitch (see the Film pitch worksheet on page 14) and a mood board a collage of images and words - to support their ideas. For the mood board, students could be guided by these headings: time; place; colour; costume; they could also look at social mood boards, such as Pinterest, for inspiration. 3. Groups present their adaptation ideas back to the class using their mood board to introduce key characters, locations and plot points. intofilm.org 9
Activity outlines DVD extra: cultural historians There are a number of DVD extras available on the Pride and Prejudice disc that give viewers an insight into the world of the novel and the making of the film. Here students produce another DVD extra, taking on the role of cultural historians to create a commentary for a key scene: 1. Students choose a clip either from the PowerPoint resource or from the DVD. 2. They work in pairs to script and record a voiceover that can be played over the top of their chosen clip. The voiceover script should explore how social status, wealth and gender at the time Jane Austen was writing are reflected in what we see on screen. And finally For further contextual background, show students the short introductory video about sculpture from the V&A museum s website on slide 17 of the Pride and Prejudice presentation. Watch from 3:44 to the end to find out about outdoor sculptures and follies, (such as the one shown in the film where Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth in the rain DVD timecode 01:05:48-01:08:15), and to see examples of 19th century gallery sculpture created to adorn stately homes such as the version of Pemberley shown in the film (see Elizabeth s visit to Pemberley s sculpture gallery, DVD timecode 01:19:12 01:20:53). Go to Search the Collections to find out more about the V&A s collections online: collections.vam.ac.uk intofilm.org 10
Focus on mise-en-scène What is mise-en-scène? The term is borrowed from a French theatrical expression, meaning roughly put into the scene. In other words, mise-en-scène describes everything in the frame, the way it is shown and how it has been arranged. The prompts below will help you analyse it for its effect on the audience. 1. Costume, hair and make-up Choices about a character s appearance are usually designed to have an immediate effect on the audience. How are the different characters presented? Make notes on costume, hair and any other interesting features. What ideas about their status, and their state of mind, do you get from their costume? 2. Performance Look closely at the actors performances, and listen carefully to their voice and delivery. How do they use voice, facial expressions, gesture and body language to convey a sense of character? How do they interact with one another, and with the audience or camera? 3. Setting and props Look closely at all the objects you can see, as well as the background scenery or setting. How do the setting and any props elements create a sense of time and place? What do they tell us about status? Do you notice any interesting details? intofilm.org 11
4. Sound and music Listen carefully to how sound (including incidental sounds, sound effects and voiceover) and music are used. What can you hear? What effect does it have as you watch? If any instruments are used, can you identify them or guess at what they might be? Does the sound in the scene create atmosphere, or link to wider ideas of character or theme? 5. Lighting Look carefully at the lighting in the scene, thinking about what is lit and what is in shadow, as well as the direction the light seems to be coming from. What are the main areas of light and shadow in the scene? Has lighting been used to focus attention on a particular character or part of the set? Does the lighting seem natural, or heightened (with bright lights or deep shadows)? How does lighting create atmosphere? 6. Camera To film a theatre production, cameras can be positioned around the auditorium to record a single performance. With a feature film, different camera positions may be used, and different takes may be edited together to create the final recording. Look at the shot types at key moments. Has a close up been used or a long shot? Is the camera high up or low down? What effect does this have on the audience? Does the camera move at all and, if so, how does it follow a character, or zoom in or out? 7. Editing Editing involves deciding the order in which shots appear on screen, the duration of shots and any transitions between them (such as a fade). Count the number of shots in the edit. How quickly do they change? What effect does this pace have on the audience? Does the edit keep us in one time period, or do we move back or forth in time? How does editing place shots side by side to help audiences understand the narrative, character or setting? intofilm.org 12
Genre swap worksheet Allocated genre: List the key features of your allocated genre here: Narratives: Settings: Sound and music: Characters: Costumes, hair and make-up: Actors: How could this relate to Pride and Prejudice? Use the headings above to transform Pride and Prejudice into a film that would fit with the key features for your genre. Narratives: Characters: Settings: Costumes, hair and make-up: Sound and music: Actors: intofilm.org 13
Film pitch worksheet Your pitch should be a maximum of three minutes long. Use this template to guide you: Production company name: Title: Tagline: Synopsis/plot outline: Cast/interview list: Themes/issues: Filming locations: intofilm.org 14