SEN Inclusion Project A Cat in Paris Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org See, think, make. Imagine The SEN Inclusion Project was generously funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. intofilm.org Into Film is a trading name of Film Nation UK. Registered Charity number 1154030.
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org Activity pack A Cat in Paris A Cat in Paris 2002 France Cert. U 112 mins Soda Pictures (2002) All rights reserved What s this film about? A beautifully crafted animation following the adventures of Dino the cat across the rooftops of Paris. By day he is a pet to seven-year-old Zoe and her police officer mum; by night he is an assistant to big-hearted burglar, Nico. One night Zoe decides to follow Dino, and the pair become tangled up in a local mafia conspiracy. There are two versions of this film you can choose within the DVD settings. One is in French with English subtitles and the other is dubbed into English. For this resource, we suggest the dubbed version. Why have we chosen this film? There are two characters in this film with whom we feel many club members including those on the autistic spectrum, those with elective mutism or those that have experienced change may identify. The young person in this film chooses not to speak until the very end. This film has a strong narrative, which has clear high and low points that are easy to understand. It can be used to discuss feelings of empathy towards others (taking Zoe as an example), family relationships, friendships and how it feels to overcome a challenge. Guidance The theme of bereavement features in this film. There is loud noise and fast action throughout this film and some mild violence and language. Organisational considerations It s a good idea to skip through the trailers before the group arrives so only the film is played during the session. Keeping the volume at a low level is advisable to cater for those who find loud environments difficult. Some of the group could be seated on mats/cushions/bean bags in order to enhance their ability to engage and maintain concentration during the film. Allow everyone to settle before starting the film. A chill-out zone could be set up for those who may experience distress regarding content and want to opt out for a short while. You may wish to keep some of the lights on rather than having a complete black-out, to retain a calm environment throughout. DVD availability You can order this film for free through your Into Film club account. Not yet Into Film? Joining Into Film is easy and free go to www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs to find out more and to register, or email support@intofilm.org. intofilm.org 2
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org Activity pack A Cat in Paris Talk about it (before the film) Ask the group if anyone has been to Paris before and what it was like, or what they think it might be like. Explain that the film is set in Paris and give a short introduction to it, explaining what they might expect to see, and the style. It is also advisable to explain a little about the Guidance given on the previous page, to ensure club members are prepared for anything which they may find alarming. Talk about it (after the film) Give the group a chance to explore vocabulary they may have learned by asking questions which require one or two word answers, such as: What did they see? Where was the film set? A house? A roof? Etc. Who did they see? Or you could explore more challenging questions such as: Why do you think Zoe is quiet at the beginning of the film? Do you think Nico the burglar is a good or a bad person? If you were Zoe s mum, would you have left Zoe with the babysitter? Do you think the gangsters are friends with each other? Who is more brave, Zoe or the gangsters? How did you feel at the end of the film? Extension activities Sensory - let young people play with a material that could represent a cat s fur. They could perhaps use a furry material to cover a drawing of a cat s face, to reinforce their understanding of how a cat s fur feels. Go to the time code 00:11:05 of the film and pause on the scene of the rooftops. Ask the group what colours they can see. Now ask them how this scene makes them feel. Design a skyline showing rooftops using the same colours as seen in the film. Write some of the feelings they described around the skyline. Give out pieces of white paper with Zoe s name written on it and speech bubbles coming out from her name. Go to the time code 00:05:53 of the film and pause on Zoe. Ask the group to describe how they think Zoe is feeling at that point and write it in a speech bubble. Repeat this activity at time codes 00:24:47 and 00:55:48. Take photos or screenshots from the film at various points where it is clear what is happening in the story. Print off the images and ask young people to put them in the correct chronological order. Ask young people to choose a section of the film they liked. In groups of three or four, they can make an image to represent this using their bodies as if a camera had caught a photo from a scene in the film. The rest of the young people can guess which scene the image represents. intofilm.org 3
Our resources are designed to be used with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org Activity pack A Cat in Paris Write about it To aid reviewing, check Into Film s Guide to Writing Effective Film Reviews - Primary, which includes ideas and activities to help young people. This can be found at www.bit.ly/primaryreviewguide For those who are unable to access our written reviewing facility, you may wish to print off the Widgit symbols in the following pages to help them express their opinions. The symbols can be circled to reflect young people s feelings or, with your guidance, they can be ordered into a film review. Any Widgit symbol reviews sent to us will be counted in our Review of the Week competition. Please email reviews to info@intofilm.org or use the freepost address below. FREEPOST RTAE-BAZG-CSZZ FILMCLUB Damaso House 31 Islington Green London N1 8DU intofilm.org 4
Into Film Symbol Reviewing Into Film are keen to help all young people express their opinions about the films they have watched. On the following pages there are around 70 picture exchange communication symbols kindly donated to us by Widgit. These can be used to help your club members write their film reviews. The symbols were sourced to support activity happening as part of the SEN Inclusion Project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, but are now available for all film clubs to use. If you would like any more information or support using the symbols, or if you would like electronic copies of each one, please feel free to email: info@intofilm.org with the subject: Widgit Symbols intofilm.org Widgit Symbols Widgit Software 2002-2014 www.widgit.com
Afraid Sad Content OK Bored Cry Difficult Excited
Happy Laugh Interesting Silly No Yes Shrug OK
Actress Actresses Actor Actors Best Actress Best Actor Culture Drama Lesson
Feel Good Feel Bad Good Bad Like Don t Like Favourite Depressed
Children s Film Action Film Fantasy Film Comedy Film Drama Film Sci-fi Film Animated Film Horror Film
Film Family Film Film Credits Cast Romantic Film Period Drama Film Wildlife Film Question
In Love In Love Me Relationships Film Studio Filming Film Director Script
Technology Technology Science Multi-national Earth Beautiful Multi-sensory Maths
Story Wonderful Star If you would like any more information or support using the symbols, or if you would like electronic copies of each one, please feel free to email: info@intofilm.org with the subject: Widgit Symbols Widgit Symbols Widgit Software 2002-2014 www.widgit.com