Romeo + Juliet
So I’ve been obsessing over the soundtrack–which occassionally happens because it’s so flipping good–and this evening while listening to it while I read another book, I had an idea for an R+J project based on the book.
So the initial thing is to read the play.
Then watch Baz’s version in movie form, and while watching analyze some of the choices he made and get a little bit into the ways you read a movie.
From there we’d introduce the music project in which the class would either be divided into groups or individuals would pick a song from the soundtrack (all songs would need to be spoken for, however). Then they could have a number of choices
1. Analyze the song as a piece of literature and discuss how it’s meaning/lyrics relate to the play–specifically the part Baz used them for if they appeared in the movie, or more generally and openly if they were just “inspired by” instead of used in. They could, of course, always go with the whole “although Baz used it here, it’s really much more appropriate here” in their relation as well (because, let’s face it, I love it when people argue with the creator and seek better ways to do things)
2. Create a collage or some other artistic work to go with the song–either incorporating moods or lyrics and also incorporating lines from the play. This could be a word collage or something more visual. Either way it needs to be accompanied by a short explanation of what it all means and how it all works.
3. Create a music video for the song that depicts (in direct action or symbols) the meaning of the song as it relates to the movie–clips can be used, but it can’t just be the scene as it appears.
4. Find a companion song–either the antithesis or it’s sister/brother–and explain why they make a good pair and how the two contribute to understanding the play.
And maybe some more. I’d only thought of the first two when I started writing. I’m not so sure of the last one, but something about it seems worth trying. I think it has crazy potential, not just for enhancing the understanding of the play and the director’s choices for a movie, but for coming up with some crazy creative things. There’s lots of possibilities, I think. Obviously 1 is really straightforward, and 4 is a little wimpy right now, but 2 and 3 have a lot of open-ended possibility. The bottom line, of course, would be bringing it back to the play somehow. 3 would need to incorporate the things they learned about movies… Heck, 5 could be “make a mini-movie (3-5 minutes) in which you use the song in a way that mimics its relation to the play”
Interpretive dance, so long as it’s accompanied by a written explanation.
Who knows.
But I definitely think it’s worth trying. And kids always need a challenging but fun project after they get through any Shakespearean play.
