We have concentrated on voice, breathing, projection (speaking so that the member of the audience in the last row can still hear us) and have done some exercises to improve our projection and posture. Please remember to do the exersises at home.

YOUR AUDIENCE – People, of all ages, living in Neustadt (Weinstrasse.) 

BROADCASTING DATE -  January/February 2008 – The Open Channel (Neustadt-Weinstrasse) 

LENGTH OF FILM – Minimum 10 minutes 

CONTENTS - Your group will decide the genre and theme of your film. Please keep in mind that your film should be suitable to air to a wide ranging audience.

PROJECT BRIEF (Steps you have to follow to make a film) – Film making sounds like a lot of fun………. It is!  But it is also very hard work! You have the chance to make a film that people are actually going to see. During the process of making the movie you will learn a lot of new skills.

• Choose a group of people that you really work well with. Once you have chosen your group changes will not be permitted.
•  Brainstorm ideas about possible genres and themes that you are interested in. 
•  Choose an idea that will not cost you a lot of money to produce. Keep it simple, yet interesting and informative for your first film making experience. 
• Write a script for the film. 
•  Choose who is going to do what jobs for the different scenes of your film. Write a contract so that all team members know what are expected of them. (Example: Director, camera person, actors etc.). Please remember that each LP in your group should get a chance to direct, act, film and edit the movie. 
• Design a story board. Include scene, actor’s text, camera directions, lighting and sound instructions.
•   Rehearse your film script and story board, several times with all team members.
•  Record your film. (December 2007) It will help if you can record the production “as live”. You will then need the minimum post recording editing. (The Open Channel Neustadt will lend us equipment, such as digital video cameras, lights etc. Please use equipment carefully with your mentor’s supervision please.) 
•  Download your “movie visuals” to a computer. 
•  Use Moviemaking editing software to cut the scenes you want in the order you want, 
•  Add transitions between different clips where necessary. 
• Add the music, titles and credits. 
•  Record the final product and hand it to your mentor for assessment. Your mentor and professional broadcast people from the Open Channel will assess your film before it is broadcasted, using an assessment rubric.
• Assessment Rubric that will be used to assess your film 

Group 1

7 Nov – Gabriel (Festivals in Germany) and Nora (Mozart/Austria)

14 Nov – Sarah (Famous cities and buildings/Austria) and Laetitia (Franz Liszt/Hungary)

21 Nov – Tazzio (Bela Bartok/ Hungary) and Lukas (landscape/ Croatia) and Anna-Lena (Eisernes Tor/ Serbia)

28 Nov – Sebastian (Castelul Bran, Törzbutg/Romania)and Philipp SB. (music /Romania)  and Anna (Churches in Bulgaria)

5 Dec – Ben (Kraftwerke gefährden die Landschaft entlang der Donau/UA) and Amandine ( Donau-Delta/Romania)

 Group 2

9 Nov – Hannes (music/ Germany) and Dan W(Buildings/ Germany) and Daniel H ( famous buildings in Austria)

16 Nov – Jonas (Johannn Strauß/Austria) and Delia (old buildings in Slovakia)

23 Nov – Amon (baroque buildings /Hungary) and Kristina (trad. and modern music/ Croatia) and Philipp O. (old, famous buildings in Serbia)

30 Nov – Lisa (old, famous buildings in Romanis) and Patrik (monasteries in Romania)

7 Dec – Philipp S. (Welche Rolle spielt die Donau als Motiv in der Musikwelt/Bulgaria) and Lilli (churches, port/Moldavia)

Regards,

Doris

26 September - MS 1 to 3 – Group 2 – Cultural Mishaps Mime – Drama (mentor assessment)

26 September – MS 1 to 3 -  Group 1 – Cultural Mishaps Mime – Drama (mentor assessment)

Learning partners were given their assessment rubrics.

Mime artist behind a wall

Click continue reading to see the other video clips

Walking forward against pressure (wind blowing for example)

Walking in profile (side showing)

Professional mime artist performing two roles.

Homework:

1) Prepare an individual performance of about 2 minutes with an imaginary object. Remember to use exaggerated facial expressions and body movement to “describe” your object to the audience. You may improvise during the performance.

2) Interview a learning partner or mentor that come from another country to find out

• if there are cultural taboos (things we just do not do or say) in their culture.
• if they have done or said something innocently or without knowing, to another person from a different culture that have put them in a compromising or difficult position. 

When we communicate with different people in an international setting we sometimes forget that people come from different cultural backgrounds. There are multiple cultural influences on the interaction and communication between people.  

Cultural background, religious beliefs and expectations affect how we understand each other when we communicate verbally and non verbally. To communicate effectively, it is necessary to avoid stereotyping by responding to other people as individuals within their own cultural context. We must also remember the influence of our own cultural backgrounds and attitudes when communicating with other people. What may be acceptable in our own cultural community, may be upsetting and even extremely rude to someone else that comes from a different cultural background.. Communication is sometimes more challenging with those who are different from us. To communicate successfully, we may need to be willing to accept the discomfort of unfamiliarity and uncertainty. Rising to these challenges requires:

• sensitivity to cultural diversity,

• stereotyping and prejudice,

• general skills of good communication, 

• and specific skills to negotiate communication barriers.

Goals of our drama lesson:

• To find out what mime is,
• To look at the history of mime,
• Use mimimg skills to show what can happen when people from different cultural background misunderstand each other when communicating.

Key words: mime, communication skills; cross-cultural communication; culture; stereotyping; interpreters

The famous Dutch expressionist painter Vincent van Gogh said: “It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.”

What do you think?