ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications

Hollywood is a computer program which allows students to produce shows. You will learn the elements of screenwriting and storytelling (setting, plot, narration, characterization, dialogue, stage direction and sound).

While you are learning these screenwriting skills, you will also be working on all of your English language skills as well as your word processing and multimedia skills. And on top of all of this serious learning, you are going to have a really fun time ! It is hard to explain Hollywood with words, but it's very easy to understand when you see it, so let's get started.

• Assignment 1 - Demonstration
• Assignment 2 - Quick Show (1 class period)
• Assignment 3 - Group Production of a Show (4 class periods)

Assignment 1 - Demonstration

1. Quit any work you are have been doing on your computer and find a partner. Try to find someone who does not speak your native language.

2. Listen and watch closely the two sample Hollywood shows your teacher demonstrates. ("BigMess.sho" and "Teaching Dad A Lesson")

3. Watch as your teacher creates the show, "Late for the Movies" and displays it in the "theater".

4. Join another pair of students. Choose one student to be the leader, one the helper, one the secretary and one the reporter. The secretary will turn in notes from your discussion and the reporter will summarize orally your discussion to another group.

Questions:

1. What interests you the most about the Hollywood program?

2. Would you be interested in trying to write your own show? Why or why not?

3. Do you think writing a show with Hollywood would improve your English skills? Explain.

4. What will be most difficult about writing a show with Hollywood?

5. Would you be interested in sending/receiving Hollywood shows to other schools via Email? Would you be interested in publishing a show on the Internet? Why or why not?

6. List at least four ideas you have for shows you could write with Hollywood.

7. In one or two sentences, summarize your opinion of the Hollywood program.

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Assignment 2 - Quick Show (1 class period)

(See Hollywood manual, pp. 16-21)

1. Quit any work you are have been doing on your computer and find two partners. Try to find at least one partner who does not speak your native language. Choose a typist for the group.

2. Brainstorm with your group a topic for this show. Write down at least three ideas. Choose one idea. In your group talk about the story you would like to tell and what the characters (and narrator, if you have one) will do in your story.

3. Follow these steps to begin using Hollywood .

• Load the Hollywood CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive.
• Double click the Hollywood icon.
• You will see the Setup Screen. Give your show a title and select your setting and characters.
• Select Save from the File menu. Save the file on the floppy disk of one member of your group. Do not save this file to the hard drive.

4. Use the remaining class time to work on a show. Do not spend a lot of time trying to get the dialogue perfect! Do spend your time trying out as many of the features of Hollywood as you can.

5. Share your show with at least one other group in the class. Get feedback from them.

6. Email homework: Write for 30 minutes about your experience with Hollywood. Send this Email to esl-382 and your teacher. Did it make you feel powerful and creative? (bored?, anxious?) What did you enjoy doing the most? (playing with expressions, voices, music, etc.). What was most difficult for you?

Grading: Your grade will depend on how well you listen and work with others to learn the Hollywood program. Also, your Email will be graded for content and language.

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Assignment 3 - Group Production of a Show (4 class periods)

(3-5 minutes minimum playing time for the completed show)

1. Choose partners
2. Brainstorm
3. Proposal Form
4. Rough Draft of Show
5. Teacher Conference
6. Final Draft and Classroom Viewing
7. Send Shows to Theatrix for Posting on the Internet

1. Choose two partners (try and get a mixed language group).

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2. Brainstorm ideas for a show. You may choose any topic and any format you like. If you need help getting ideas, try the Idea Machine (See Hollywood manual, p.22)

Formats and Possible Topics (Other ideas? Please talk to your teacher).

• Screenplay - tell a story with a focus on the characters and the plot. What challenge will the character face? Will he win the girl or guy? Find a friend? Solve a problem or crime? Defeat an enemy? Get/lose a job? Get a good/terrible grade in class? Do great/poorly on the TOEFL? Have wonderful/awful experiences in a new country? Be accepted/rejected at L.C.? You should also consider if there will be a narrator in the story or will one of the characters be the narrator?

   

• Talk Show - write a script for a TV or radio talk show. Each member of the group can play one of the talk show participants. The student playing the host must prepare questions to ask the guest (s). Possible topics: Food in the Bon? Life in the dorm? Homework in the ISALC?

   

• Role Play - pretend to be someone your are not. Write dialogue based on the character you are playing. Possible roles? ISALC teachers discussing their classes, parents discussing a problem with their child, an ESL student arriving in the U.S. for the first time or leaving home for the first time.

   

• Newscast - do a news broadcast. Choose an actual topic or make one up. Report from the news office or out in the field. Possible topics: school, sports, movies, weather, crime, environment, music. The news could be local (Portland), state, national or international.

   

• Commercial - Because these are short, you should produce two. They should be 60 - 120 seconds long and try to sell a product, service, candidate, idea, (real or imaginary) to consumers. Commercials can be serious or humorous. Because they are short, every word and action should be chosen carefully in a commercial.

   

• Debate - Formal debates are very structured. The purpose is to present both sides of an issue. Students should know their topic well in order to present a debate. The two sides to a debate are pro (for) and con(against). Each side must prepare a) an opening speech to present their point of view b) a rebuttal (which responds to the opponents' arguments) and c) a closing speech which repeats their main points. If you are interested in presenting a debate, see your teacher for more instructions.

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Names of group members: ________________________________________

Format: ________________________

Topic: _________________________

Setting: (See p. 18, 19) ___________________________

Characters: ( See p. 16-17) _______________________________________

Objective of the show:____________________________________________

Student tasks:

• Which students will write the dialogue for which of the characters above?

• Which student(s) will be the typist?

   

• Which student's disk will be used to save this show?

Summarize your show in 100 words or less

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4. Rough Draft of Show (Peer Editing)- Meet with another team and play your show for them. Also give the team a printout of your script. (Choose "Print" from the "File" menu).

Using Hollywood manual, p.36 as a guide, each group should make written comments on the show you watch. These comments should help the group revise their show.

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5. Teacher conference- play the show for your teacher. He will give you written comments which will help you revise your show.

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6. Final Draft and Classroom Viewing of the Show - After revising your show, you will using the data projection system and external speakers to present your show to the class. The class and teacher will complete an evaluation form judging how well you met the objectives stated in your proposal form, the content and creativity of your show, and the accuracy and appropriateness of the language used in the show.

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7. Send shows to Theatrix for possible posting on the Internet.

http://www.theatrix.com/fun/fun_callmovies.html

On their website, Theatrix (the company that produces Hollywood) states:

Send us an email with the following information (or use a separate Email program) to send us ALL of this information:

• Your full name
• Your age
• Your address
• A title for your movie
• A short description of your movie

Our Email address: webmovies@theatrix.com . Don't forget to attach your movie to the Email. Of course, all movies must be free of profanity and other offensive remarks. We can't promise to put up everything, but we'll do our best to help make you famous. (And coming soon, we'll allow people to review your movies!) If you'd like, you can also send us your "Hollywood" or "Hollywood High" movie via regular mail! Save your movie on a 3-1/2" diskette (MAC or PC format) and send it to:

• Theatrix Interactive, Inc.
• Attn: Web Movies
• 1250 45th Street
• Suite 150
• Emeryville, CA 94608

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Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 8/18/98