This blogpost will be about a very challenging project attempted by the my PLP class. Since my class had recently studied the play Macbeth by Shakespeare and World War II our teachers thought of a really great idea. This was to somehow combine both and make a big project about it. My class was to make a movie recreating the whole play Macbeth during the World War II period. This 20 minute movie was to cover most of the scenes.
The whole point of this project was to answer our driving question:
What is the nature of Evil?
Our class started by reading and analyzing the play. We used an app called SIB Macbeth. This app included all the acts with a synopsis for each act as well. It also gave us information about the characters.
After we finished reading we decided we had to jump right into the roles in the project. We assigned a Producer, a Director, Script Writers, Props, Costumes, Camera, and actors. Since I wasn’t there that class the producer assigned me in the camera and props crew.
The first class was all about the script writers. It was their responsibility to make something so we could get started. Everything was going smoothly until we got to the table read. The actors had a lot to say about the script. There was many things that needed to be adjusted so the play could run smoothly. This was the very first problem that we encountered. This would not even count as a problem if you compare it to the rest.
Script Writers and Editors
At the same time the script was being produced, props and costumes were working hard to make what was needed. The costume and make up department went and bought a couple things from Michaels like white t-shirts and paint and basic SFX makeup. The props were building tank stoppers, small grenades, and gathering historically accurate objects.
Things were going great, but then we started filming. People wouldn’t show up, and do what they were supposed to. The scenes we were filming were taking forever to film, and were not coming out the right way. At one point getting all the actors together was impossible so no filming was getting done.
This was when our teacher intervened and put a stop to this all. She gathered the class and gave us a serious speech. There she insisted we end the project and never look back, but we wouldn’t give up. We asked for one more week to hopefully finish the project.
To do this we took out all of the unnecessary scenes in the play. Then one day after school i decided to write all of the actors’ availabilities down and come up with an schedule to follow. I arranged it all together and the plan seemed like it was gunna work.
With some no-shows, horrible weather( a couple inches of snow), and a corrupted SD card the project didn’t work out in the given week. In the end I wish I hadn’t miss the role assigning class so I could’ve received amore involved position in the movie.
A special shoutout to the people who put their hearts into the project, who stood out in the rain when needed, who there every time to film when they could, and gave it 110%.
Marley Harman Michael Sutherland
Zakaria Rook
Michael Fourie
Luciano Boniface
Teva Zanker Spencer McCoach
Here is the finalized video!
Behind the scenes!